This Monday, April 22, marks Earth Day’s 49th birthday. The annual holiday has come a long way since its inception in 1970, back when the word “environment” was more likely to come up in spelling bees than news reports. Amazingly, 20 million Americans took to the streets that first Earth Day to demonstrate against oil spills, industrial pollution, toxic dumps, pesticides, and wildlife extinction, paving the way for the creation of the EPA and propelling environmental issues to front-page news. Today, more than 193 countries celebrate Earth Day, and many communities have stretched the celebration into seven days’ worth of eco-focused activities, a.k.a. Earth Week.

As a Sierra reader, you probably treat most days like Earth Day, which is why we think you deserve to take a load off and indulge in a little eco-savvy joy this week. After all, environmental awareness isn’t all about grim climate reports and political battles. Here are eight ways to honor our home planet while having a bit of fun and some relaxation too.

 1. Plan a Nakation—or maybe just a clothing swap. One of the most ecofriendly types of getaway—at least, that is, according to the American Association for Nude Recreation spokesperson Jeffrey Baldasarre—is a clothing-optional sojourn. “Remember, luggage kills fuel economy, but you won’t need more than a carry-on for an out-of-state Nakation,” Baldasarre says. “You’ll travel light on road trips too. Did you know that an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle reduces your car’s fuel economy by 2 percent?” It sure won’t take you long to pack for a nakation, and once buckled in, you can head to more than 180 North American nudist-friendly clubs, campgrounds, and resorts.

If you’re not the type to bare it all while recreating, it’s still worth bearing in mind that “fast fashion” is a climate killer—the apparel and footwear industries account for 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, and thanks to plastics like polyester (found in most tees, suits, athletic wear, and underwear), many clothes won’t biodegrade once tossed. So, consider promoting the circular economy by inviting your pals and their back-of-the-closet finds over for an old-fashioned swap. Your neighbor’s last-season castaways could be your next new look.

2. Instead of hitting the gym, try plogging. A portmanteau of the Swedish “plocka upp” (meaning “pick up”) and jogging, this fitness trend combines running with intermittent squatting in order to collect trash—the idea is to tone up while taking a bite out of the 9 billion tons of litter that end up in our waterways every year. In 2016, official plogging events and clubs started sprouting up across Sweden, and as #plogging gained steam on social media, the double-dopamine sport spread beyond Scandinavia. Today, the “Plogga” Facebook group boasts members from 40 countries, and school running clubs across the country are plogging together and staging competitions wherein the winner isn’t the faster runner but rather the one who finishes with the heaviest trash bag. See if you can round up a group of eco-minded ploggers, or see if your local running store has any plogging events in the pipeline for Earth Day.

3. Host a kids’ Earth Day bash. Kids love getting dirty, so why not round some up for fun party activities that’ll encourage them to think about how to improve our terrestrial home? To help kids make little balls comprised of compost, clay, and seeds, follow this seed bomb tutorial (keep the seeds local!). They’ll have a blast launching their handmade seed bombs over walls and fences and into plantless wastelands. You could also turn recycled cans, jars, and cartons into planters and show kids how to fill and plant them. Or, consider holding a recycling relay—simply divvy kids into two teams facing empty bins, distribute an equal pile of varied recyclables (think empty plastic bottles and cereal boxes), and challenge each child to toss an item into the appropriate bin for paper, plastic, or compost (the team that bins the most items correctly wins). For party fuel, gather up reusable plates and cups, and serve up cookies decorated like globes or flowers, ants on a log (celery, peanut butter, and raisins), dirt and worms (cups filled with crushed oreos, chocolate pudding, and gummy worms), and seasonal fruits and veggies.

4. Throw yourself an Earth-friendly spa day. Eschew chemical- and phthalate-ridden cosmetics for the day and instead create au naturel beauty remedies with stuff you already have around the house. To get that Earth Day glow on, wash your hair with lemon juice or beer (great for adding shine), cleanse your skin with egg whites (known for their clarifying properties), combine oatmeal and honey to create a gentle face scrub, and make your own body scrub from coconut oil and sugar.

5. Invite some cool feathered friends over. What better time than Earth Day to deck your yard out with a bird feeder, make and install DIY birdhouses, and/or put in a bird bath? By consuming insects, your new bird gang will help you avoid using pesticides. Plus, they’ll eat your garden’s weeds, pollinate its flowers, love on your native plants, and potentially boost your property value.

6. Get out and enjoy the best of what nature has to offer. Uncoincidentally, Earth Day falls within National Park Week, which kicks off on Saturday, April 20, with a day free of entrance fees. Find the park that’s closest to home, or most conducive to your preferred adventures, and boom, your weekend’s planned. Throughout the rest of the week, parks across the country are hosting a variety of special programs and events like Military & Veterans Recognition Day (April 21), Transportation Tuesday (April 23), and BARK Ranger Day (April 27). Plus, if you tweet about America’s Best Idea using the #FindYourPark hashtag during National Park Week, a cool ranger emoji will show up on your posts.

7. Netflix and chill, nature-doc style. We assure you that Our Planet, the climate-conscious nature programming blockbuster that premiered earlier this month, narrated by none other than Sir David Attenborough, is every bit as riveting as Game of Thrones. Plus, it’s bingeable—all eight episodes are streaming on Netflix. So are smash hits from the illustrious filmmakers of BBC Earth, including Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet, and Nat Geo’s One Strange Rock. And over on the Nat Geo channel, Hostile Planet's can't-miss "Jungles" episode premieres at 9/8 central. It’s the perfect recipe for a low-key-but-eminently-enriching Earth Day evening.

8. Host a vegetarian potluck. The hard truth is that all the short showers, river cleanups, and energy-efficient bulbs in the world will never benefit the environment as much as just eating less meat. Animal agriculture generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes in the world, combined. So yes, a vegetarian (or better yet, vegan) meal a day will significantly lower your carbon footprint. Send your loved ones links to your favorite vegetarian blogs (we love The First Mess, Sprouted Kitchen, and Vegetarian Ventures) and then challenge everyone to try a new recipe and unveil their creation at your Earth Day potluck. You and your family could also commit to a vegetarian meal every night throughout Earth Week. Believe us, veggie burgers have come a long way, taste-wise, in recent years, and there are a lot of fun campaigns and challenges to choose from (for example, Meatless Monday and One Meal a Day) that are designed to make plant-based eating easy, tasty, and budget-friendly.

Cheers to almost a half-century’s worth of eco celebrations! Got your own fun Earth Day tradition? We’d love to hear about it.