Earth Day Groceries is a project that can be done by a school to involve students in an activity to advance environmental awareness. Earth Day always falls on April 22nd. Briefly, students decorate paper grocery bags from a local grocery store and return them to the store. The decorated bags are then distributed (filled with groceries) to shoppers on Earth Day.      

One of the biggest benefits reported from previous participants was a very positive response from the local community, and often the establishment of a positive relationship with a local business.

Students gain an increased awareness about Earth Day and the importance of environmental conservation. Opportunities for educational enrichment will present themselves, especially in the areas of math and geography.

1. Contact a local grocery store that uses large paper grocery bags. See if the manager will let you "borrow" enough bags so that each student in your school
   can decorate one. Let the manager know about the project and its environmental education message, of course! You could mention that last Earth Day 1,200 schools from all over the world participated! Grocers usually get these bags in "bundles" of 500.
2. Have students at school decorate the bags with pictures of the earth, environmental messages, the name of your school, etc. Be creative! DO NOT allow
   students to write their last names on any bags.
3. A couple of days before Earth Day you and/or your students return the decorated bags to the grocery store - with many thanks to the manager! The store then distributes these bags (full of groceries) to happy and amazed shoppers on Earth Day

Pictures of Earthday Bags done at Lee Elementary School in
El Paso, Texas