Happy Earth Day!
A green future is a prosperous future. We now need to protect and preserve our planet together. Acting in an innovative manner allows every individual, business, and organization to be accountable and choose a sustainable future. This is what Earth Day focuses on, the urgent action needed to save our planet. Earth Day is an event designed to shine a light on the serious environmental problems we’re facing, from the climate crisis to air pollution and deforestation.
When was the first Earth Day?
Following an oil spill in California 1996, US senator and environmentalist Gaylord Nelson started Earth Day to highlight the importance of clean air and water . The day became an international campaign in 1990, when environmental activists reached out to the original organizers so they could help to create another event to highlight the challenges our planet faces ecologically
This year’s theme…
The theme for this year’s Earth Day being ‘Invest In our Planet’ means there is a call for a better investment in the future planet from businesses and individuals. There is a particular interest in governments promoting a green economy as they can pass regulations regarding sustainable innovation.
Investing in the planet means protecting those within it by accelerating action and reframing the conversation to bring individuals together and repairing our planet.
Governments can help to incentivize individuals, businesses, and organizations to be innovative and creative regarding our planet. They can create an economic system in which these innovations and creative ideas as well as implementing them to protect and advance the public interests.
Individuals can hold such governments accountable to pressure this change to occur, they can also encourage this from other businesses and organizations. Citizens should be conscious about their political choices and vote for candidates who have plans to promote a green economy and vote for them. Individuals can also help to invest in our planet by educating themselves on sustainable alternatives and choose these options, in this way consumers are able to sway the market to be more eco-friendly. Educating children is also essential to building a green planet as this allows for innovations and solutions to be developed in the future. Within your community you can also join local clean-ups, support local businesses, especially and plant trees and other plants and flowers.
Finally, here are some simple ways you can live more sustainably and ‘Invest in our Planet’. You can switch to renewable energy, fly less and eating less meat, fish and dairy. There are so many campaigns and environmental charities that you are able to donate to or join (Greenpeace, 350.org and Rainforest Alliance.)
How can I take part in Earth Day?
Earth Day organizers have suggested a number of ways to get involved via its handy toolkit, including supporting its campaigns for a global plastics treaty, for change in the fashion industry and to stop deforestation. There are so many events taking place around the world – find out what’s happening near you via this map, from tree-planting to clean-up activities.
Aliya Hussain
Community Development Assistant
aliya.hussain@groundworknottingham.org.uk