Sustainable Bucket List for Summer: 12 Eco-Friendly Activities To Do This Summer
I have previously confessed my eternal love for Autumn–my favorite season–and Spring, which comes close. However, I’m also happy when summer and winter arrive. There is something so unique about each of the seasons, and I believe all four provide us with something magical that is given to us freely, and it’s up to us to take it and make the most out of it.
The main reason I look forward to summer is that the days are longer. I won’t say much about sunrises, because as much as I love them, I don’t have the will or energy to wake up to cherish them every day. Someday I hope I take up that habit! For now, I rejoice in the long afternoons, the more than three hours of daylight I have left to enjoy after leaving the office. It’s a refreshening contrast to the short days of winter, when it’s dark as soon as I get home from work, and I don’t get to see the sunlight much. During summer, I have time to have a coffee as soon as I get back home, and then go to the beach for a run, probably even get in the water and float while watching the sunset and the subtle curling of the clouds.
Another thing I love about summer is the overall light air that reigns. Everyone’s happier, they wear brighter colors, the nights are inviting, the sun against the skin gives people that extra dose of vitamin D that helps keep the energy lit and the joy undisturbed.
Summer also allows us to enjoy some activities better than in other seasons, that’s why I prepared this sustainable bucket list for summer, with a list of eco-friendly and conscious activities to do during this wonderful season. This way, we can enjoy this warm and cheerful time in a manner that is respectful with our beautiful planet.
12 ENVIRONMENTALLY-CONSCIOUS ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY IN SUMMER
1. Go to the beach or lake
I know there are some courageous people that get in the water during any season. I personally start doing it in late June. I’m no role model in this aspect, just a girl that’s very sensitive to the cold. Summer is more inclusive: everyone can get in! The sun silently leads you into the tempting water, and it’s a perfect time to go for a swim, or just stand in the shallow, moving your hands, spotting little fishes passing by your feet. You can also enjoy the beach or lake by making a sandcastle, reading, doing yoga, or simply exfoliating your feet with the burning sand.
2. Hide from the midday sun at a museum
At least in Miami (although I believe it happens in many places), noon becomes almost unbearable during summer. I notice the beach is still crowded during those hours, with the presence of the brave, who place their hopes in the relief of a beach umbrella and a cold drink. Others, like me, prefer to go to the beach early in the morning, and get away just when the sun starts to burn considerably. Where to run depends on you, but one option is to go to a museum, to ignite your creative spark, learn about art, history, nature or new artists, all with the lovely assistance of air conditioning. You can then have a drink at the museum’s coffee shop or try spotting sustainable products at the gift shop!
3. Go for a hike
Especially for those who live a bit more up north than I do, hiking can be great during the summer months, because the skies are clear, the days are long, and the views are as breathtaking as always. To make it a sustainable activity, take lots of water in reusable bottles, leave nothing but footprints, don’t feed or annoy wild animals, and take your trash with you and dispose of it properly after the hike.
Hiking in the Atacama dessert
4. Enjoy the nights with a moonlight picnic
A very romantic and sustainable activity to do this summer is to have a moonlight picnic, which can be particularly pleasing with a full moon, and a great way to breathe some fresh air without the agony of the days’ heat. For instance, in Miami, the full moon illuminates the entire beach, embracing you with its light, and hitting the water and the waves so sensually it makes you want to go for a late-night swim. It can be held at the beach, park, your garden, or anywhere that’s quiet and comfortable for you. To make your picnic sustainable, try taking plant-based foods, cutlery and plates you already own, reusable napkins, drinks in reusable bottles, not using disposables, and collecting your trash if you have any.
5. Catch up with your reading
Whether it be at the beach, in your couch, your park, or anywhere, you can start making your to-be-read list shorter during summer. I love to take my book to the beach during the morning, and lay down, allowing the sun and my skin to become acquainted again, and taking little breaks to get into the water. However, as I said before, when the sun starts becoming a bit too warm for me, I take my book home and read for a little longer, once again depending on the air conditioner to keep me sane in the Florida heat.
To make it a more sustainable activity, you can take books from your local library. In fact, some libraries also sell books for very low prices (I’ve bought a few for $1). I love buying old books, not just because they are more sustainable, being part of a circular economy, but because they usually come with a little clue from the past–an old receipt, a stranger’s photograph, a dedicatory to a lover. Nevertheless, I also try buying new books sporadically to support bookstores, writers, and publishers, as I believe it’s the most deserving industry, and a very important one for humans to become the best version of themselves. A part of me would probably perish if bookstores would no longer exist.
6. Engage in watersports
Another eco-friendly thing you can do this summer while you visit the beach or the lake, or even in the pool, is try watersports. For instance, in the water you can do aquajogging, artistic or regular swimming, which only requires your own body. You can also do activities on the water that are sustainable. For example, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding are considered sustainable watersports because, at appropriate water levels, they cause no erosion or damage to fish, nor noise or pollution. A great way to connect with nature while doing some exercise, and enjoying what summer has to give!
7. Chill with an outdoor movie
Some cities offer activities for the community, and one I have seen near me that has caught my attention, although I never got to do it, is going to an outdoor movie night. If you have the option, you can also make your own outdoor cinema in your garden or patio. Use furniture or pillows you already have and prepare some great plant-based snacks. A great idea would be to buy corn in bulk and make your own popcorn. If you’re going to the city’s movie night, remember to leave the place in a better condition than when you got there.
8. Make sock puppets with old socks
A fun and sustainable activity to do this summer, especially if you have kids, is making sock puppets with old socks! Let your imagination soar! After all, repurposing is one of the Rs of sustainability, because you’ll be giving something old or broken another chance. Grab those old socks you were going to throw away, and use thread, needles, buttons, paint, or whatever your creativity comes up with, to make the coolest puppets for a fun puppet show.
Kayaking near the Oleta River State Park
9. Plant herbs
A new season gives you the opportunity to plant new herbs, and planting new herbs opens a new gastronomical and even medicinal window; certainly, a sustainable way of using your time during summer. Not only you will have control over how these herbs grow, but you will also have many healthy and delicious plants to make your meals incredibly tasty.
Some herbs that thrive during the summer days are mint, rosemary, thyme, coriander, dill, chives, parsley, and basil, among others. Each will give you the gift of having a myriad of possibilities! For example, I love to use mint for lemonades, rosemary to bake potatoes, and chives to put on my burritos, but the list is infinite, and you can explore it!
10. Make popsicles with fruit, or prepare smoothies
Fear the heat no more! This sustainable activity will make your summer more bearable in terms of temperature. Prepare some healthy fruit popsicles, by putting fruit, water or plant-based milk, and a bit of agave if you want, in a blender, and then put the mixture in a popsicle mold. The result: a delicious and refreshing snack! Nonetheless, if you prefer, or if you don’t have a mold, you can just blend the fruit and the water or plant-based milk and enjoy a nutritious smoothie. Cheers!
11. Go star gazing
When I was a kid and was full of energy and didn’t need to sleep much to keep on living, and my friends and I had a sleepover, we sometimes decided to stay awake the whole night to watch the sunrise. Sometimes we didn’t make it till the sun came out, but we did stay awake until the deepest parts of the night, watching the stars and talking about life.
Is there something more sustainable than cherishing the wonderous skies? It’s not only a way to connect with ourselves, our friends, or our thoughts, but also with nature. In the finitude we discover within us by looking at the boundlessness of the stars, and at the humbling vastness of space, we can understand an existence beyond ourselves, and I believe that is an essential position to take if we want to take care of this world. If you think about it, when someone doesn’t take care of Earth, it’s because they are either uninformed, or so into themselves that they fail to see how their actions affect others, or the environment. By looking at the stars, we make that ego smaller, and by appreciating the beauty of the world, we get to take care of it a bit better.
12. Get your bike and go for a ride
I have already suggested going for a hike and doing watersports. A third option is to go cycling, or maybe you can combine all three and take up triathlon! In Miami, as the days are super warm, it’s better to cycle before dawn or after sunset, but if you live up north, the morning would be a great way. Do some exercise while exploring, and maybe stop over for some coffee or smoothie on the way (take your reusable mugs!).
Which sustainable activities will you enjoy doing this summer?
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Hi, I’m Melina,
I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.
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