This Earth Day, we feel more connected than ever. How to do your part in Charlotte.

This was supposed to be an article about businesses that have ditched plastic straws, utilized solar energy, incorporated zero waste policies or begun using recycled materials everywhere.

In fact, for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day (on Wednesday, April 22), we at CharlotteFive had it all planned out. “Here are 5 businesses that are saving the Earth.”

Except, the whole world changed from the time we planned that story until now. With COVID-19’s first known arrival on this Earth in December, this virus has become a deadly reminder of just how connected we all are. From China to Charlotte and everywhere in between, the coronavirus traveled farther and faster than George Clooney’s character in Up in the Air (great movie, by the way, if you’re looking for something to add to your streaming lineup).

Earth Day was created in 1970, during a time when Americans were using leaded gas, producing smoke, sludge and air pollution. For 50 years, Earth Day has served as a voice for those with concerns about our environment.

This year, as with everything else, celebrations may look a little different. “On Earth Day, April 22, 2020, we have two crises: One is the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The other is a slowly building disaster for our climate,” the official Earth Day website states.

All over the world, Earth Day events are going digital. Here at home, Sustain Charlotte’s celebration is virtual this year.

As we continue the stay-at-home order in North Carolina to prevent community spread of the coronavirus, here are a few ways to save the earth this year:

(1) Plant something

Planting a tree is the quintessential Earth Day activity, right? Though, you’ll have to get creative if you both want to plant a tree and avoid the notoriously crowded big-box home improvement stores. Try this: TreesCharlotte is handing out free tree seedlings with a takeout purchase at participating restaurants.

Or, plant some herbs on your apartment balcony. Wholistic Wellness Practitioner and local herbalist Aura Love of Herb ‘N Spice Wellness often posts about how to use different herbs for health. She recently posted guidance about anti-viral herbs: We all know the common ones, including elderberry and elderflower, but Love said to also consider using dandelion, ginseng, ginger, licorice, echinacea and more.

Don’t have a green thumb? Check out Pike Nurseries’ lawn and garden tips for April. The store also offers curbside delivery and pickup for a variety of things to plant, including trees, roses, vegetables and vines.

(2) Help the animals

Make a donation to Carolina Waterfowl Rescue. Order a bird feeder from Blackhawk Hardware. Just be aware that there is a right way and a wrong way to feed birds if you are trying to give back to the ecosystem. You’ll also want to provide a safe space for the birds to eat: No letting your pet cat outside near the feeder, for example. Here are some tips about what to feed birds from The Humane Society.

While we’re on the subject of animals, there may be some ways to help your pets help the environment, too. A 2018 Vice article states that “meat eaten by pets creates the equivalent of 64 million tons of CO2 a year, which has about the same environmental impact as a year’s amount of fumes from 13.6 million cars.” Check in with a local pet shop to inquire about a diet that’s healthy for Fluffy and the Earth.

(3) Drive less

This one is so easy this month — with the county and state’s stay-at-home order, you got this. But maybe it’s time to start thinking about how to help save emissions in a post-COVID world.

Has this time away from the office taught you that you can easily work from home a few days a week, perhaps? Or that trips to the store can be combined with exercise?

Today, order some saddlebags for your bicycle, such as these from Charlotte Cycles, and plot a safe cycling route from your home to the grocery store. I’ve ridden home from Food Lion with eggs and almond milk in my bike’s saddlebags with no issues — and I’m super clumsy, so I know it can be done.

(4) Make less trash

Sustain Charlotte has listed 10 ways to live sustainably during this time of social distancing. Check out number 6: “Start a compost pile. When food waste is put in a landfill, it produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting is not only better for the climate, but it will also produce high-quality soil full of nutrients for your garden or plants.”

If you’re not sure what to compost, check out Crown Town Compost’s handy breakdown of which items to compost, recycle or trash. Live in an apartment complex without a good space to create a compost pile? Crown Town can pick up your compost for you.

(5) Support local businesses that support sustainability

Before social distancing and stay-at-home to prevent community spread of coronavirus was on anyone’s radar, CharlotteFive reporter Jillian Mueller wrote a list of five Charlotte businesses doing their part to incorporate sustainable practices into their day-to-day operations. Keep this list in mind for when the economy opens back up again:

Birdsong Brewing

1016 N. Davidson St.

Birdsong Brewing is the third-oldest brewery in Charlotte but the first to use solar power to power brewing operations. In January 2018, Birdsong installed a 70 kilowatt solar panel system on the roof of the brewery to decrease power usage. So far, these solar panels have prevented almost 300,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being released into the atmosphere — the equivalent of planting about 7,500 trees. You can even monitor the solar panel’s conservation metrics here.

In addition to introducing solar power to the Charlotte brewery scene, Birdsong integrates sustainable practices into its internal operations. For example, the brewery uses 16-ounce aluminum cans to decrease the amount of packaging used, has waterless urinals in the men’s restrooms and ships the shells left over from complementary taproom peanuts to local farmers.

Birdsong also practices sustainability outside of the brewery. Its in-house Green Team hosts Earth Day parties, encourages staff to bike to work, planted a pollinator garden and co-hosts collaborative cleanups with Charlotte several times a year in which Birdsong staff and customers tidy up Little Sugar Creek Greenway.

Haymaker

225 S. Poplar St.

Uptown farm-to-table restaurant Haymaker goes above and beyond in its efforts to stay green. In addition to using fresh locally-sourced seasonal produce, the Haymaker uses sustainable practices throughout its operations, right down to the decorations. The restaurant incorporates recycled and reused materials and does not use table coverings in order to minimize waste.

This Leed Silver-certified restaurant is so passionate about water efficiency that it has its own in-house water filtration system. Staff are required to take part in education and training about water usage and follow specific protocol to use less water while cooking and washing dishes. All dishwashers, sinks and bathrooms are kept at a low flow level to reduce water consumption, as well.

PNC Music Pavilion

707 Pavilion Blvd.

PNC Music Pavilion made waves last summer when it was the first Live Nation venue to achieve zero waste, meaning there was a 96% diversion of waste from landfills. PNC has been striving toward this achievement as part of its “Sustainability Rocks” program, implemented in 2018. The venue replaced plastic straws with paper ones and started a composting program incorporating food service products.

PNC has brought sustainable practices to the concessions side of the venue also. There are water refill stations available throughout the venue, so you don’t have to keep purchasing single-use water bottles to stay hydrated at concerts. Live Nation was also the first live music entertainment company to roll out the Impossible Burger as a menu item, and just last year it added Questlove’s plant-based cheesesteak to the menu.

In addition to being a place where you can see a great show, PNC hosts events where you can learn about green topics and get involved. Earth-friendly organizations such as Sustain Charlotte, Carolina Thread Trail, Tree Charlotte and Mecklenburg County’s Wipe Out Waste have all held events at PNC. Venue staff also have stayed busy in the past few years with initiatives such as a clothing drive where 1,400 pounds of clothing were donated to Planet Aid and planting 90 native flowers at the Frank Lise Park.

Rooted Rethinkery

1101 E. 36th St.

Ever think about all the packaging that comes with all the things you need in your daily life? Soap comes in plastic bottles, deodorant is stored in a plastic tube and even dishwasher detergent pods each come wrapped in their own little disposable wrapper.

Rooted Rethinkery’s Stephanie Woody thought about this problem and opened this mercantile store with the purpose of providing Charlotteans with a zero-waste way to get all the essentials. You can bring your own clean glass jar, or grab one when you walk in the door, and fill it with cleaning supplies such as dish soap and laundry detergent, or toiletries like lotion, soap and shampoo and more. You can also buy reusable razors, straws and other instruments to help you cut down on disposables and live more earth-friendly everyday.

Smelly Cat Coffee

514 E. 36th St.

Smelly Cat Coffee has been taking strides to reduce the amount of “to-go” waste it produces when staff stopped to think about how many one-use cups went out the cafe door each day.

“At a restaurant, it’s a sit down experience, but with coffee, people are usually on the go. We have customers that have come in almost every day for about six years, and doing the math, that is thousands of cups thrown away,” manager Taylor Russell told Jillian several months ago.

To encourage customers to bring their own cups, Smelly Cat offers a 35 cent discount on all drinks when a customer brings in a reusable mug. To sweeten the deal, the coffee shop makes a matching donation of 35 cents to a selection of local charity that the customer can choose, such as Pat’s Place, Safe Alliance or the Humane Society. If you forget your cup, all of Smelly Cat’s disposables are either recyclable or compostable. Smelly Cat composts them in-house and uses the compost to nourish a flower-filled garden in the front of the shop.

To further cut down on disposables, only metal spoons are available to eat snacks or stir coffee, and customers are required to bring their own straws or purchase a metal one at the register for $2.50. You can also bring any container you like to purchase coffee beans to take home.

Read next: Check out Discovery Place’s “50 Ways to Earth Day” collection.

This story was originally published April 21, 2020 at 5:01 PM.