Earth Day falls on April 22nd, and here in New Brunswick, we have every reason to take it seriously. From the Bay of Fundy’s extraordinary tidal ecosystems to the Acadian forests blanketing nearly 85% of our province, New Brunswick is home to some of Canada’s most remarkable natural heritage. But it also faces real environmental pressures — clearcutting controversies, coastal erosion, aging municipal infrastructure, and the creeping effects of climate change on our rivers, wetlands, and fisheries.
The good news? You don’t have to wait for policy changes or government action to have an impact. Here are 10 concrete, locally meaningful things New Brunswickers can do this April to protect the province we love.
1. Join a Local Cleanup — or Start One
Every spring, volunteers fan out across New Brunswick to pull litter from riverbanks, beaches, roadsides, and trails. Organizations like the Conservation Council of New Brunswick and local trail associations coordinate cleanups throughout April. Check with your municipality or hop on social media to find an event near you. No event in your neighbourhood? Grab a bag and a few neighbours and make one. Even a two-hour pickup along a local stream makes a real, visible difference.
2. Plant Native Species in Your Yard
Lawns are ecological deserts. This spring, consider replacing even a small section with native New Brunswick plants — wild columbine, purple coneflower, joe-pye weed, or native ferns. Native plants require no fertilizers, support local pollinators, and provide habitat for birds and insects that depend on them. The New Brunswick Botanic Garden and local nurseries often stock native varieties. Even a single native garden bed can attract monarch butterflies, bumblebees, and dozens of bird species.
3. Reduce Your Single-Use Plastic — Especially Before It Reaches the Water
New Brunswick’s rivers flow to the sea, and what ends up on the ground often ends up in the Miramichi, the Saint John River, or the Petitcodiac. Carry a reusable bag, coffee cup, and water bottle as a baseline. But go further this April: audit your kitchen and bathroom for the biggest sources of plastic waste in your home, and replace one or two with low-waste alternatives. Small, consistent changes across thousands of households add up fast.
4. Compost Your Food Waste
New Brunswick sends a staggering amount of organic material to landfills, where it produces methane — a greenhouse gas many times more potent than CO₂. If your municipality offers green bin collection, use it religiously. If not, backyard composting is simpler than you might think: a basic bin, your fruit and vegetable scraps, some leaves, and a bit of patience. By summer, you’ll have rich compost for your garden — and you’ll have diverted pounds of methane-producing waste every week.
5. Support the Fight for Old-Growth Forest Protection
The fate of New Brunswick’s Acadian old-growth forests remains one of the most contentious environmental issues in the province. Centuries-old sugar maples, yellow birches, and eastern hemlocks store enormous amounts of carbon and support biodiversity found nowhere else. This Earth Day, educate yourself on the issue through organizations like the Acadian Forest Research Group or Nature NB, and consider writing to your MLA or signing active petitions supporting stronger protections. Your voice carries weight.
6. Switch to a Green Energy Plan or Reduce Your Home’s Energy Load
NB Power is one of Canada’s most carbon-intensive utilities, and the province still relies heavily on fossil fuels for electricity. While the grid transitions, you can shrink your personal footprint by improving your home’s efficiency: seal drafts, switch to LED lighting, lower your thermostat by a couple of degrees, and unplug devices on standby. If you own your home, this is a great year to explore the Canada Greener Homes Grant, which provides federal rebates for insulation, heat pumps, and other upgrades.
7. Eat More Local, Less Meat — Even One or Two Days a Week
Agriculture accounts for a significant share of New Brunswick’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the global food system is a major driver of deforestation, water use, and emissions. You don’t have to go fully plant-based to make a difference. Committing to one or two meat-free days per week — and filling those meals with produce from New Brunswick farms and farmers’ markets — cuts emissions while supporting the local agricultural economy. The Fredericton, Moncton, and Saint John farmers’ markets all run well into spring.
8. Get to Know Your Local Watershed
New Brunswick is defined by its rivers — the Saint John, the Miramichi, the Restigouche, the Kennebecasis. Most New Brunswickers live within a short drive of a significant waterway, but few know who manages it, what pressures it faces, or how its health is measured. This Earth Day, look up your local watershed association or conservation trust, attend a public meeting, or simply walk the banks of your nearest river with new eyes. Stewardship starts with knowing the land.
9. Talk to Your Kids — and Let the Province Teach Them
New Brunswick’s provincial curriculum includes environmental education, but parents and grandparents are often the most powerful teachers. Take a child to a provincial park this April. Walk a trail at Fundy National Park or Mount Carleton. Let them look under a rock, watch for a great blue heron, or spot a spring wildflower. Children who grow up connected to nature become adults who vote, advocate, and make daily choices in its favour.
10. Advocate for Change at the Municipal Level
Individual actions matter — but systemic change is what moves the needle at scale. And municipal government is the level most accessible to ordinary New Brunswickers. Attend a city council meeting, email your councillor about idle-reduction bylaws or urban tree canopy protections, or ask your municipality what its climate action plan looks like. In New Brunswick’s smaller cities and towns, a handful of engaged residents can genuinely shift policy. Your vote, your voice, and your presence in local governance are among the most powerful environmental tools you have.
The Bottom Line
Earth Day is April 22nd — but the choices that define our province’s environmental future happen every week of the year. New Brunswick has extraordinary natural assets worth protecting, and a proud tradition of communities that care for the land and water they depend on. This April, pick one thing from this list and do it. Then pick another. The province will be better for it — and so will you.
Happy Earth Day, New Brunswick. Let’s make it count.
