What’s everybody doing for Earth Day? Officially, Earth Day 2022 takes place this Friday, April 22 and we’ve got suggestions for some activities. But first, here’s a brief history.
What many call the birth of the modern environmental movement was proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, who had long been concerned about the deteriorating environment. The first Earth Day was held back in 1970. It has become an annual event that has grown to become the world’s largest environmental movement, with events taking place around the world and involving an estimated more than a billion people. Yet this top environmental event has become much more than a single day honoring the environment.
Now, it’s Earth Day, Every Day. Here are a few suggestions and thoughts to get started on saving our planet.
What do you know about our Earth?
“We still do not know one thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us.” —Albert Einstein
Question: Every year, the United States loses approximately 996 million metric tons of soil through erosion. True or False?
Unfortunately, this is true. To test your knowledge about topics such as biodiversity, climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation, clean energy and more, check out the rest of EARTHDAY.ORG’s quizzes: https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-quizzes/
Take part in the Great Global Cleanup.
“To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash.” —Bill Nye, Science Guy
We are heading into camping and hiking season. While Earth Day may take place this week, stay mindful of your trash when enjoying the outdoors. Take reusable water bottles, pick up any cans or food wrappers after enjoying a meal by the fire and make sure all cigarette butts end up in the trash rather than the grass or lake. Did you know most cigarette filters can take up to 10 years to decompose?
Help remove billions of pieces of trash from trails, streams, rivers, oceans, and neighborhoods —and hopefully keep it going for a greener world. To find a cleanup nearby, register a new event, or learn more about The Great Global Cleanup program, please visit: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/cleanup/
Artists for the Earth.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”—Jane Goodall
Art has long been a powerful way to reach people and Artist for the Earth aims to inspire environmental support with murals, exhibits, songs and more. See Learning Through Art for resources and suggestions.
In addition, check out 10 environmental documentaries available to stream, including 8 Billion Angels, My Octopus Teacher, Jane Goodall: The Hope and five others. Entertainment and inspiration!
Earth Day. It’s not a day — it’s a movement.