How To Celebrate Arbor Day

As Hazel Grace Lancaster’s mom famously said in the iconic book Fault In Our Stars by John Green, “It's Arbor Day! Let's hug and eat cake!” That’s right — Arbor Day is on Apr. 28, which means it’s time to hug all the trees (and, as always, eat all the cake) that you want. But what if hugging trees and eating cake isn’t good enough? What else can one do to celebrate Arbor Day 2017?

In order to properly celebrate this holiday, we are going to take it back to why this holiday was created in the first place. It was first created by journalist J. Sterling Morton in the 1800s in an effort to advocate for tree planting — since trees are good for the earth and what not. The first Arbor Day was observed on Apr. 10, 1872 in Nebraska, and became an official legal holiday in the state on Apr. 22, 1885. During the 1870s, different states passed legislation to observe Arbor Day, which now takes place on the last Friday in April.

Arbor Day is commonly celebrated in schools, along with a huge parade that takes place in Nebraska. But for the rest of us? Arbor Day doesn’t seem as much as a big deal as it does to Hazel Grace’s mom. This, of course, can easily be changed. Mostly because cake is involved based on her standards, but also because planting trees and saving the earth is important too.

Here are a few ways to celebrate Arbor Day this year.

Plant A Tree

Celebrating Arbor Day without actually planting a tree seems pretty much useless, right? It’s why the holiday was created in the first place. So if you live in a place where a tree can easily grow, why not plant one for the world to enjoy!

Promote It On Social Media

Once you plant your tree (or help a friend plant one) take a tree selfie and let your friends know how you are observing Arbor Day, and what they can do if they choose to do the same.

Dress Up Like A Tree

Why not? Lorelai Gilmore seems to think it’s a good idea. Pick your favorite tree and dress up like it for the day! Who said you can’t?

Teach Others About The Importance Of Tree

Now that you’re dressed up like a tree, you may get a lot of odd looks or questions. Have some facts on hand about trees that will help people understand why you are celebrating Arbor Day — like how trees provide food, habitats for animals, even the oxygen we breathe.

Throw Some Green At The Arbor Day Foundation

Is the only green in your life the kind that lives in your wallet? Well, you can still observe Arbor Day with just that! Donate some of your green to the Arbor Day Foundation, where the money will go towards planting a new tree in your state!