Thu April 16, 2020
On April 22, 2020 Earth Day turns 50 and it is well worth celebrating. In 1970, millions took to the streets to raise awareness about the deteriorating state of our planet and to demand protections for clean water, clean air and food without poisons. Such protections have been attacked every step of the way by corporations and individuals who stood to profit from continued exploitation of our collective environment. As a result, since that first Earth Day, greenhouse gas fueled climate change has spun out of control into an existential crisis that now challenges humanity to come together in order to resume control and develop collective solutions.
In response to the crisis, activists are launching activities all over the globe this Earth Day to demand a change of course away from destruction and exploitation for profit and guiding towards a new direction of protecting and defending life on earth by putting PEOPLE and PLANET first. Here are a few ways you can volunteer to help save PEOPLE and PLANET from climate disasters, crop failures, and species’ extinction.
The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.
Join Earth Day initiatives. Organizers plan to inspire a billion people to participate in Earth Day activities, including Earth Challenge 2020, a collaboration with the U.S. Department of State and the Wilson Center. This science initiative uses a mobile app to analyze data about air quality and pollution to encourage policy changes. Another initiative, The Canopy Project, reverses environmental damage and improves air quality by planting millions of trees. The Earth Day Network plans to plant 7.8 billion trees – one tree for every person on earth in 2020 to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. You can help.
Clean up your community. A network of partners, including Keep America Beautiful and Let’s Do it World have come together to launch, The Great Global Cleanup. Join millions of people across the globe, who are registering groups, or join an existing cleanup effort at cleanup.earthday.org. According to the Earth Day Network, volunteers will remove trash from waterways, city streets, and natural habitats. Thousands have already registered and expect to remove billions of trash pieces from the environment.
Volunteer with USAgain to help build a school garden that teaches kids how to grow healthy organic food while building healthy soil that absorbs carbon from the atmosphere. Like activists all over the world, USAgain, a textile reuse company, dedicates resources to combat global warming. Since 2013, the company has planted more than 1 million trees with American partners and around the world, in collaboration with Trees for the Future, which plants trees with small holder farmers in countries that bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
Take action. Volunteer for existing Earth Day events or register your own project. Protecting the environment is a collaborative effort. Individuals and corporations are spearheading efforts to combat global climate change. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, including eating sustainable food and wearing eco-friendly clothing.
Earth Day is your opportunity to participate in environmental action. Join one billion activists in projects designed to clean up our planet, fight global warming, and put PEOPLE and PLANET first.