Earth Day in a New Way

One of the most valuable learning lessons from this trying time is that we are capable of change. Change can be hard; it requires sacrifice, a shift in values, and reflection. At 1 Hotels, we aspire to be a platform to spark conversations and transform the world around us.

Fifty years ago today, April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated, which launched the modern environmental movement. It rallied 20 million Americans to fight for causes including pollution and wildlife extinction. By the end of that year, the US created the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 2016, the UN chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement. Recognized as the planet’s largest civic event, Earth Day is now celebrated in over 193 countries.

This year, while we may not be able to celebrate in person, we're more than capable of making small changes from home to meet our climate crisis. We ask you to take time to be still and reflect on how we can embrace sustainability for good in order to move forward with love and intention, to safeguard our environment for future generations.

For you, our 1 Hotels family, we’ve put together a list of easy ways to honor the Earth and celebrate at home:

1. Attend the Future Coalition’s Earth Day Live, three days of online action including teach-ins, musical performances, divestment, and more. Find out more here.
2. Support your favorite environmental organization by amplifying their message on your social media pages. Retweet, post to your Instagram story, or share with your Facebook friends. One of our favorites is the NRDC.
3. Learn something new. Read the book the sparked the environmental movement, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.
4. Watch an environmental documentary. A few that we’ve screened are The Diamonds of Botswana, Ay Mariposa, and Picture of His Life.
5. Unwind and meditate. Staying inside can be tough. Take seven minutes to connect with nature in your mind and honor the planet. Try this guided meditation session, and sign up to enjoy a complimentary month of Unplug Meditation here. Have a yard, rooftop, or balcony? Enjoy outside and be at one with Mother Earth.
6. Reduce your food waste AND your trips to the grocery store. Shop with a list, plan meals in advance, freeze what you can before food goes bad, and eat your leftovers. Use scraps to top salads or make homemade broths, and embrace “ugly” produce that usually gets tossed out. Skip the store all together with Imperfect Foods.
7. Shop smart. Research brands before making online purchases to ensure that you’re supporting sustainable companies. Apps like Good on You do the research for you and give ethical brand ratings. Some of our sustainable favorites are S’well, Hu Kitchen, Bamford (found in our spas!), and Neu Nomads.
8. Power your home with purpose. Call your utility company and switch to green power, meaning it will be generated with clean sources like wind or solar or buys renewable energy certificates from other clean energy providers.
9. Implement a system in your home for waste and recyclables. If you haven’t yet, label separate bins to make it easy. We recycle at all 1 Hotels properties.
10. Buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste and minimize transportation pollution. You may need to do some storing prep to store your purchases - we recommend large jars for storing dry goods like nuts or trail mix.
11. Start your own organic vegetable garden inside or in your own backyard. We have an on-site organic garden at 1 Hotel West Hollywood that we use for delicious farm-to-table dishes.
12. Compost food scraps and yard waste and see your garden grow. Keep these materials out of landfills and turn them into your own plant food. We compost at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and you can get started with this at-home composter.
13. Go plastic free. Use reusable water bottles and straws. Switch to soap bars and solid shampoo and conditioner bars to reduce bathroom waste. Store food in metal or glass containers or in reusable storage bags like Stashers. At 1 Hotels, we limit the use of single-use plastic wherever possible.
14. Try Meatless Mondays. In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emission, try eating plant-based meals once a week. Here is a recipe from Chris Crary, Executive Chef of 1 Kitchen and 1 Hotel West Hollywood.

Here's to another 50 years of Earth Day progress!