These service activities allow your club to protect the environment by reducing waste and supporting nature.

Reducing waste is the practice of using fewer resources and creating less trash.

  • Collect discarded items and give them a new life. Transform old tires into garden planters, recycle plastic bottle tops for creating park benches or restore discarded furniture and donate it to shelters for the unhoused. The nonprofit RepurposeProject.org shared how to repurpose discarded items and why it’s important.
  • Build and stock Little Free Libraries. Every old book becomes new again to a different reader. Visit Kiwanis International’s partner organization, Little Free Library, to purchase supplies to build and stock small libraries throughout your community.
  • Host a swap market to repurpose gently used items. A swap market is a community-driven system that allows community members to exchange gently used books, household items or clothes. It can be informal (neighbors trading items) or organized (local scheduled events or monitored online groups). Learn how to set up a swap or free store at Shareable.
  • Organize a Library of Things in your community. Libraries of Things are “community-based systems that allow people to borrow, share and collectively steward physical resources.” (See The Library of Things Toolkit). They operate similarly to public libraries, allowing members to borrow and return tools, kitchen items, camping gear, emergency supplies and much more. Learn how to organize a Library of Things.
  • Provide neighborhood recycling bins. Use recycling bins for paper, plastic, glass and metal. Partner with local businesses and recycling companies to collect items. Everyone in the community wins. The National Recycling Coalition can help with learning, networking and support.

Supporting wildlife and natural spaces recognizes that humans impact the natural world and should adopt practices to protect and strengthen it. Focus on these suggested activities:

  • Create safe spaces for wildlife. Creating bird feeders, birdbaths, birdhouses and bat houses provides safe spaces for local wildlife. Learn how to build a bird nesting box with Audubon a bat house with Bat World.
  • Plant butterfly- and bee-friendly gardens. With the help of KidsGardening.org, a Kiwanis International partner organization, creating butterfly- and bee-friendly gardens is easy.
  • Provide water for local wildlife. By placing bowls of water outside or building a pond, you can provide water to local wildlife. Learn how to create a wildlife-friendly landscapes and gardens and certify them as wildlife habitats through the National Wildlife Federation.
  • Clean up parks, beaches and woodland walkways. Use The Great Global Cleanup Toolkit created by Earthday.org to learn best practices for how to organize and conduct a cleanup.