The 50^th anniversary of Earth Day looks a little different than years past. Traditional plans where groups cleaning and caring for our public lands, or planting trees have fallen awry with global circumstances, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t celebrate (in a socially distant) way!

With moving so often these past few years, one thing that always makes my packing list are all of my house plants. Indoor plants have become well known for the benefits they can have on us; they make us happier, reduce stress, and improve air quality, just to name a few. For this unique Earth Day, I wanted to continue to nurture my green thumb by planting herbs.

Growing food or shopping local at farmer’s markets have become increasingly popular as concerns about the relationship between our food and the environment grow. Planting a vegetable garden can help reduce your carbon footprint, reduce food waste, and help your bank account!

A full-blown vegetable garden isn’t in the cards for me yet, but I am hopeful that this will be a good steppingstone to eventually taking a larger role in my own “foodprint”. Planting basil isn’t going to solve the issues between food and climate change, but we’ve all got to sprout somewhere.

Linsey Hughes showing off how she is reducing her "foodprint" for Earth Day 2020. Linsey is a CVA, serving at Buffalo National River in Arkansas