As soon as the month of April rolls around every year, cannabis connoisseurs nationwide start getting excited for the yearly 4/20 celebrations. The celebration of cannabis each year proves important as an eye opener to thousands of people around the U.S. previously unaware of the advantages of marijuana. Another yearly important eye-opening event happens only 2 days later: Earth Day. Marijuana is a plant, clearly. And Earth Day is often about planting fauna to improve the natural environment. But the links do not need to end, there.

Earth Day began back in 1970, when a Wisconsin Senator proposed the ‘holiday’ celebrating and honoring Mother Earth. Every year for the past 46 years, we have gathered together to do just a little something to give back to our environment. This year will be no different.

Similarly, 4/20-themed celebrations have been observed for many years, beginning only (and maybe fittingly) 2 years after the first Earth Day celebration back in April, 1972.

In all that time, environmentally-conscious people have come up with a multitude of ways to honor Mother Earth. Cannabis-conscious people have done the same. Today, with the national popularity of marijuana at an all-time high, Earth Day and 4/20 celebrations often overlap. ‘Planting a tree’ for Earth Day and ‘planting trees’ on 4/20 are – like the celebrations, themselves – similar but not quite the same. Taking the time and energy to mold your Earth Day & 4/20 celebrations can prove tough, so let Cannahacker give you an initial push by giving you some ideas for what you can do for the environment RIGHT NOW!

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Planting

In the first years of Earth Day, planting a tree was the ONLY way to volunteer to give back to Mother Earth. Again similarly, the ONLY way to grow cannabis is to plant a ‘tree’*. So, why not combine the two!?

As a quick botany lesson, the flowering, budding, THC-containing marijuana plants are ALL female. Obviously, there are male versions of the plant, as well, they just do not contain the THC-rich buds. This does not mean the male marijuana plants are worthless beyond female reproduction, however. Rather, the non-psychoactive version of cannabis – aka hemp – has countless uses worldwide.

small plant for the environment right now
You don’t need acres of space to do something good for the environment right now.

Hemp thread has been used to make everything from clothing to sturdy rope, and may even contain some medicinal uses. The use of hemp predates modern civilization, and only misguided U.S. legislation has kept it out of public use in the recent past.

In U.S. states where recreational cannabis has been legalized, residents of those states are allowed to grow a certain number of marijuana plants for personal use. Be sure to check your state’s government website on marijuana for the exact number of plants allowed per person and where, but typically 3-9 plants are allowed per resident.

So, if you are a resident of Colorado, Washington, the District of Columbia, Oregon, or Alaska, why not continue the age-old Earth Day tradition and plant your own tree!? The two-day time window between 4/20 and Earth Day should be the perfect amount of time to come out of the haze, collect your faculties, and get back out there!

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*‘Trees’ is an industry slang term for flowering marijuana.

Give Back 420

give back 420
In Cali? Check out the #giveback420 beach cleanup! Courtesy: Giveback420.com

For a bit more focused of a celebration combo in California, try volunteering for the Give Back 420 event. The new event conceived by Tina Urban and Cara Luhring hopes to display to the public who cannabis-consumers really are by volunteering time to help clean, plant, and repair the environment all over the Golden State.

The event is partnered with the San Diego chapter of Women Grow, an organization set to empower cannabis industry leaders. They will be running a clothing drive to benefit Dress for Success, an organization the looks to afford disadvantaged women the opportunity to compete for better jobs by providing professional clothing.

If you would like to know more about #giveback420 in California, or to start your own #giveback420 in your state, you can get in touch with them by emailing [email protected]

Become Part of the Solution

“EITHER YOU’RE PART OF THE PROBLEM, OR A YOU’RE PART OF THE SOLUTION. WHAT’S YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO LIFE?” –JURASSIC 5

Didn’t think giving back and Hip Hop went together, did you? Well, maybe there’s even further ways of giving back of which you are not aware. The best way to find out is to attend a local Earth Day celebration.

Great for kids and adults, alike. Local Earth Day events – much like 4/20 events – are full of creative ideas for giving back. If you’re stumped (pun intended) on how you can do something for the environment right now, a local gala is the best place to start. Simply Google ‘Earth Day events [your area]’ to find multiple celebrations of Earth Day and 4/20 near you!

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