What Is Earth Day?
Earth Day takes place every year on April 22nd. The day raises awareness of current environmental issues and educates the public on what they can do to help save the planet.
This year’s theme for Earth Day is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. The theme reflects a call to all members of society to invest in our planet and its future.
The History Of Earth Day
- Earth Day was first established back in 1970 by American senator Gaylord Nelson.
- With a major oil spill just the year before in California, Nelson felt that the public needed to be aware of the country’s environmental problems and how they might impact them and so organised a national protest.
- Approximately 20 million people protested in support of Nelson and his campaign for clean air and water.
- As a result of the spill and protests, the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency and passed a series of laws such as the Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act and Toxic Substances Control Act which aimed to protect the environment and preserve public health.
- By the year 1990, Earth Day was being celebrated in over 140 countries across the world.
- In 2009, the United Nations labelled it an international event, rebranding it as International Mother Earth Day.
What Can You Do To Help?
There are many ways in which you can get involved in the fight to help save the planet
Here are a few suggestions :
- Try and buy more organic foods
- Choose to walk or cycle to places if possible
- Reduce waste by only buying what you need
- Reuse and recycle items before discarding of them
- Swap fast fashion for second-hand sustainable clothing
- Donate money or old goods to local charities and causes
- Save on energy by turning things off when they’re not in use
- Avoid buying and using disposable products, opt for reusable products instead
- Volunteer, the SU currently have a number of opportunities available to help our local green spaces
https://lincolnsu.com/volunteering/opportunities/category/8
- Educate yourself, whether it’s reading a book on climate change or watching a documentary on deforestation
You can also go to the official Earth Day website to see what they and others get up to on the day.
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