People all over the world come together on April 22nd to celebrate what is often referred to as the birth of the environmental movement – Earth Day!
Every year, more than a billion people from over 190 countries celebrate the achievements of this environmental movement as well as raise awareness of the need to protect our planet.
Earth Day was first observed on April 22nd, 1970 in the United States. United States Senator, Gaylord Nelson, promoted Earth Day in order to raise awareness about environmental issues when there were no laws in place to protect the environment. More than 20 million North Americans began demonstrating on topics such as clean air, water and endangered species. By the end of 1970, the United States government created the Environmental Protection Agency, in order to protect the environment and public health.
In Canada, growing concern around environmental catastrophes initiated our own rallies calling for environmental action. In 1990, Earth Day became a global celebration – an estimated 200 million people in at least 136 countries participated in events to bring awareness to environmental issues and to advocate for a more sustainable way of living – CBC. Earth Day is now the largest environmental movement on the planet.
What can you do this Earth Day?
According to the Drawdown ecochallenge, as an individual, you yield real power for change through your influence as a consumer, a voter, and a community member. Don’t underestimate your power – when your voice and actions are united with millions of others around the world, we can create an inclusive and impactful movement that is impossible to ignore.
Thanks to earthday.org, here are a few issues that you can focus on:
Climate Literacy – Spend some time to build your understanding and learn more about climate change and the challenges we face. You will be better able to engage in meaningful ways to help address the climate crisis.
End Plastics – Break free from single-use plastics by choosing reusable whenever possible. If you are looking to do more, advocate for BYO options at your local grocery store or favourite restaurants – plastic pollution is one of the biggest issues facing our planet today.
Plant Trees – Planting trees is one of the biggest and cheapest ways to tackle climate change because they help sequester carbon. Check out the Town of Caledon’s Tree Seedling Program.
Clean Up your Community – Want to do something about the litter but not sure what? Try plalking or join a community clean-up event.
Eat More Plants – One of the quickest ways to lower our carbon footprint is by eating more plants, the reason being that it takes a lot of energy to get that steak on your dish.
Last but not least, one of the best things you can do this Earth Day is Talk about Climate Change and inspire others in your community to take action!
If you’re looking for Earth Day activities close to home, join ecoCaledon at their FREE Repair Cafè. Join 15+ volunteer fixers and exhibitors as we celebrate Earth Day. Volunteer fixers can help you fix your items and show you how they do the repairs. You can also learn from local clubs and organizations like the Town of Caledon, Region of Peel, Butterflyway Project, Caledon Friends of the Library, Turtle Green Refillery, motionball Caledon, OPP Bike Safety and much more!!!
“We believe the solution to the planet’s biggest challenges lies in the power of collective action. By taking action in our own lives and inspiring the people around us, each of us contributes to a world of impact” – ecochallenge.org
The post EcoCaledon is Celebrating Earth Day appeared first on Just Sayin’ Caledon.
