Small Actions Spark Big Changes

Journal

A mushroom in a forest.

Written on: April 27, 2022

You can make our planet more sustainable.

At the Academy of Natural Sciences, we believe that individual actions can truly make a difference. Each month, we’ll guide our community in a conversation about how everyday choices can affect the health of our environment. Follow along with us here, on social media and through email to join the conversation!

July/August 2026: Simple Ways to Reduce Plastic

Single-use plastic products and packaging contributes to pollution, creates health hazards and damages wildlife. While the amount of plastics in your day-to-day activities can seem overwhelming, you can start small to reduce your use of plastics. You can reach out to companies or local government agencies and tell them you support plastic-free products. Reduce or eliminate your purchases of fast-fashion and synthetic garments. Consult the following tips to reduce plastic use in different areas of your life:

  • Travel: Consider sunscreen brands that do not come in plastic bottles or contain microplastics. Bring reusable water bottles and decline plastic straws and utensils when possible. 
  • Clothing: Polyester, acrylic, nylon, spandex — many types of common fabrics used in our garments are actually made of plastics. Stick to natural fibers. 
  • Groceries: Shopping at farmer's markets, purchasing loose items that do not come in plastic and bringing your own containers and bags to take groceries home are simple steps to reduce plastic.
  • Bathroom and Laundry: Try powdered soap or laundry detergent sheets that come in cardboard boxes instead of plastic bottles.
  • Work: Pack your lunch and drink your beverages out of reusable containers and cups.
  • Kitchen: Making meals at home and using glass storage containers greatly reduces plastic packaging in the kitchen.

There are numerous benefits to health and the environment that occur when we work to reduce plastic in our lives. Share these tips with the people in your life and explore more ways to reduce plastic consumption through the Academy's journal entry about reducing plastic here.

May/June 2026:Spring Garden Guide

A little bit of gardening can go a long way in supporting the health of our planet. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or out in the woods, you can help local biodiversity flourish with a few of these simple spring garden tips. Learn how you can make small changes with big environmental impacts this season!

Consider using native plants in your garden. Learn how by visiting some of these resources:

Spring is also a great time to build a birdhouse. The many different designs are each suited to particular types of bird — even those city-dwellers — so when selecting, consider which avian species are found nearby or that you may want to attract. Most birdhouses are fairly easy enough to construct for the amateur carpenter or interested birdwatcher. Use unpainted, untreated wood and galvanized screws for a sturdy, safe and long-lived house. Or, if you’re short on time, check out a local hardware store or bird-friendly shop for a prebuilt nestbox or platform.

March/April 2026: 10 Hikes to Explore Our Watershed

We all live downstream. While the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers provide drinking water for many of the people in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the streams that feed into them are all part of our watershed. Also known as a basin, a watershed is simply the land in which all the water such as rainfall, snowmelt and runoff drains to a nearby river, creek or stream.

Looking to create a deeper connection to your watershed? Get up close and personal with the waterways that connect to our major drinking water supplies with these wonderful walks that explore them:

Another way you can get outside and enjoy nature is by joining the Academy and community members for Nature at Noon, an hourlong, lunchtime outing designed to be an accessible and approachable way to enjoy nature. Nature at Noon is hosted at rotating locations throughout the city on select Thursdays.

January/February 2026: Reuse/Rewear/Repair

It is the new year and time for a lifestyle change. While it’s daunting to contemplate the many issues that we need to tackle to achieve greater social equity and environmental sustainability, small, individual actions can make a difference. Get some inspiration on reusing, repairing and rewearing. Be sure to discover some of these local organizations supporting the purpose, too!

November/December 2025: How to Have a Green and Sustainable Holiday Season

It's that time of year to celebrate winter, gather with family, friends and loved ones and think about all the good you’ll do in the new year. If you find yourself wondering how to be more environmentally conscious, then you can start with a few of these simple tips that will help make your holiday season green and sustainable.

Learn more about how to be sustainable for the holidays, from gourds to candles to gifts to the debate on what kind of tree to use. Plus check out these additional resources!

September/October 2025: Fall Garden Guide

A little bit of gardening can go a long way in supporting the health of our planet and communities. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or out in the woods, you can support your local neighborhood, grow delicious vegetables, admire beautiful flowers and help biodiversity flourish — all with a few of these simple autumn garden tips.

Check out the resources below and learn how you can make small changes with big environmental impacts this season!

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Written by: Academy of Natural Sciences

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