Earth Day is coming up on April 22, and thousands of events worldwide are scheduled to celebrate and protect the only planet we have. While progress has been made since the first Earth Day in 1970, the grassroots effort is ongoing.
This year’s theme is “Our Power, Our Planet,” stressing the fact that the need to protect the land, air and water transcends election cycles or political affiliations. It is “a responsibility and a long-term investment” for everyone, says EarthDay.org.
The environment has a powerful impact on human health, economic security and quality of life; protecting it is a matter of survival. Individual, local and community actions often have a payoff that extends to real change.
What can you do? You can attend one of the more than 9,000 Earth Day events worldwide to learn more about environmental protection, join a community cleanup or plant a tree. You can organize an event, teach-in or trash pickup. You can host an Earth Day movie night.
If you can’t observe Earth Day in person, there are plenty of ways to spread the word about environmental protection and climate resiliency. You can share climate facts on social media, contact your representative to support Earth-friendly legislation or shop a farmers market.
You can hold a #clothing swap to reduce the waste of fast fashion. Or you can #donate a few of your unused #garments and other household items to ClothingDonations.org by arranging a #free #donation pickup. People can reuse the goods and keep them landfills.
Or you can simply visit a park or go for a hike to remind yourself that there is only one Earth, and it’s up to everyone to protect it. Remember to leave no trace of your visit — or better still, pick up any litter you see.
While we celebrate Earth Day every April, protecting the planet is an ongoing process built upon awareness-building and millions of individual acts of service. Get started and get involved to lend your efforts.