Why Earth Day Matters
- sfs
- Apr 22, 2019
- 2 min read
Earth Day occurs every year on April 22, and is dedicated to educating the world about environmental concerns. The idea for Earth Day came shortly after a massive oil spill occurred in Santa Barbara, California in 1969. A US Senator, Gaylord Nelson, realized the worth of engaging the public in order to encourage the government to make policies to protect the environment. Senator Gaylord Nelson worked together with some other senators, congressmen, and a professor at Harvard to get the message out. The following year, April 22, 1970, over 20 million people protested and rallied to show their disgust for the degradation of the earth. This first Earth Day brought together a lot of groups fighting for different environmental issues and they began to start working towards a common goal: protecting and conserving the environment.
Earth Day is now recognized globally, and many people are dedicating the whole week to living ‘green’. Each year, Earth day dedicates a theme to celebrate one of the many underrepresented issues surrounding the the Earth’s health and function. This year, 2019, is honoring biodiversity with the theme “Protect Our Species.”
Here are a few reasons why it’s important to celebrate the species we are surrounded by worldwide:
This theme could not have come at a better time. We currently have the greatest rate of extinction that we have been able to measure because of humans’ impacts on the earth. However, many people feel like the loss of one species is not that big of a deal. In reality, losing one species affects the ecosystem it occupies, which in turn affects the entirety of Earth. For this year’s Earth Day, people are being asked to join together to educate other about the increased rate of extinction, become politically active to help stop degradation of ecosystems as to protect specific species, and stopping pesticide and herbicide use. All of this together will help slow the rate of extinction and help maintain our Earth's ecosystems.
Earth Day is a great time to think more critically about your choices and how they affect our environment. Your everyday behavior has an effect on our planet's health. The best way to help isn’t to completely change your lifestyle, but to do what works best for you. Whether that means biking/walking to school/work, eating less meat, using reusable bags, or anything else, one of these changes in your routine can have an impactful effect on our planet's health either by saving energy, greenhouse gas emissions, water, or waste.
We want to hear how you plan on being more sustainable this Earth Day (and hopefully everyday) from our poll below! Share your response if you are proud of your impact!
Easy ways you can be sustainable:
Shop local - produce, clothing, promote small businesses
Unplug - chargers, appliances, lights
Meatless Monday - reduce carbon footprint through your diet
Single song showers - reduce water usage
Ditch plastic - reduse, reuse, recycle
Vote - stay educate because our opinions add up
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How do we know all this?
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