With Earth Day falling on the 22nd of April, the entire month has naturally evolved into “Earth Month”—a time when businesses really focus on their environmental impact.
For us at Leaves Breathe, it is easily one of our most popular windows. Last year, we hosted just over 450 volunteers during April alone. It’s an incredible month where the energy of the city’s green spaces finally starts to match the energy of the teams we host.
A quick bit of history
Earth Day started back in 1970 in the US as a way to push environmental protection onto the national agenda. It was a grassroots move that eventually went global, and today, it’s arguably the largest secular observance in the world.
While a single day is a great reminder, we’ve found that companies now prefer to spread that impact across the whole of April. It gives more teams the chance to get out of the office and contribute to volunteering in London through meaningful, hands-on work.
What we’re actually doing in April
If you join us for a corporate gardening volunteer day in April, you aren’t just “tidying up.” It’s a vital time for the gardens we support. Here is what the to-do list usually looks like:
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Mulching and soil prep: Getting the beds ready to retain moisture before the summer heat hits.
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The first big weed: Clearing out the opportunistic winter growth to give our plants space to breathe.
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Planting out: This is the prime time for hardy perennials and getting the first round of summer colour into the ground.
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Habitat building: April is a key month for biodiversity, so we’re often busy building or repairing insect hotels and log piles.
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Sowing seeds: Starting the wildflowers and vegetables that will feed the community later in the year.
Booking for 2026
Because we have limited capacity and our partner sites can only hold so many people at once, April fills up faster than any other month. If you’re looking to organise CSR days for your team to mark Earth Month, I’d recommend getting in touch sooner rather than late.
Ready to get your team involved? Drop me an email at Matt@LeavesBreathe.co.uk to chat about dates and our different London sites.
