For those not in the know, Earth Day 2015 has arrived!
This annual event is celebrated on 22nd April when people around the world gather together and raise awareness of the effects of pollution on the earth and to encourage the implementation of sustainable programs in their cities.
Earth Day Beginnings
Earth Day started in 1970, after a US senator was moved by what he saw at the tragic Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969.
The oil from the spill coated everything that crossed its path with a sticky black tar, and condemned the mammals trapped within it to a slow and painful death (does this remind anyone of the horrific 2010 B.P Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Mexican Gulf?).
The Santa Barbara oil spill continued its devastating effects well into 1970, and the world-over was sickened by the media-spun images of the affected wildlife. The senator who felt moved enough to action by this disaster was Senator Gaylord Nelson, and he wasn’t alone in thinking something needed to be done.
Earth Day Action
Senator Gaylord Nelson came up with the idea of a grassroots movement in collages dubbed a “national environment teach-in” day. It was to teach children about how pollution is destroying the air, water, and soil, as well as the effects pollution has on living things. His call for action led to over 20 million Americans marching on 22 April 1970, and the subsequent founding of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Earth Day Aims
Today, over 190 countries participate in the Earth Day movement, which pushes for sustainable advances and green technology.
What this means, in short, is that we’re on a slowly tipping cusp of acknowledging that the old, inefficient methods of living need to change to greener, more environmentally friendly ones. The Earth Day video below gives you a good overview of what the current Earth Day Network goals are, and the 2014 theme for Earth Day is Green Cities.
What to Do on Earth Day:
– Get outdoors and spend time with your family in a natural environment
– Reduce your waste, reuse what you can, and recycle the rest
– Plant a seedling (like herbs or spinach as opposed to only a tree)
– Team up with others and help clean up your neighbourhood
– Invest in a bicycle
– Go green at home and during your travels
– Start an edible community garden
– Conserve water and consider using grey water in your garden
– Read up on the United Nations Green Cities Campaign
Don’t forget to check out today’s Google Doodle (and the meaning behind the chosen animals), and if you’re interested, check out all the past Google Earth Day Doodles.
Let us know how you’ll be celebrating Earth Day 2014.
