Earth Day 2020: How you can get involved

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April 22nd this year is the 50th anniversary of International Earth Day!

Starting in the USA on April 22nd 1970 Earth day has happened every April since, with the enactment of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts having strong links to this group and their annual action. Earth Day is now a global movement. In 2016 the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day when the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change was signed into force, and people across the world every year come together to organise events to benefit and look after the earth. This years’ theme is climate action, and in this list we’re going to run down a handful of ways you can get involved:

Clean-Up Efforts in Your Area:

Whether you live in the city, by the water, or in a rural countryside community, getting out and helping clean your green areas does so much for the ecosystem. Organising a litter pick or a beach clean with some friends or advertising in your area and on social media for volunteers is a great way to get together with others while also doing something for the planet. Even if you can only spend an hour out taking away rubbish that is polluting the green space around you, this will help out the earth so much.

Make your Garden or Window Boxes a Bee Heaven:

Using window boxes, balconies or gardens to plant up bee-friendly plants is a great way to support the planet; bees, particularly in city areas with little green space, can struggle to find the plants they need or the best variety of plants. Bees can apparently see purple flowers, like lavender, better than others and tube-shaped flower, like foxgloves, honeysuckle, and snapdragons, are favourites for garden bumble bees, so planting up these along with other spring flowers wherever you can will make your space brighter while also supporting natures little gardeners!

Finding Sustainable Everyday Substitutes:

Given that the theme of this years’ earth day is climate action, finding ways to make the way you live more sustainable would be a great way to get involved. Looking at little switches, like shopping at more sustainable and ethical clothes brands, getting a keep-cup for your coffee instead of a disposable one or using bamboo toothbrushes or scrubbing brushes where you can instead of plastic ones, all add up to make a great difference. Student life did an article a little while back on ways to be more sustainable at Uni, check that out here for more tips!

Donating:

If you have a little money to spare at the end of the month or don’t have time to head out and get involved in another way, there are loads of environmental charities you can donate to and support! Earth Day themselves have a store with proceeds going to fund their movement, as well as a donation page on their website, but its not just Earth Day you can donate to. With the WWF you can adopt an endangered animal for as little as £3 a month, helping fund vital conservation work, as well as The Rainforest Alliance (who’s seal of approval appears on products like coffee that are found to meet high environmental and social ethical standards) and Friends of the Earth running campaigns and donation pages.

For more information on the events you could join in on specific to your area this Earth Day, check out their website!

For more ideas on how to be more sustainable, check out our six tips here.