SAVE THE DATE: April 22nd, 2020 the world is celebrating the 50th annual Earth Day!
Every year, the topic is a different one. Last year, it was all about saving our species. This year, and not unrelated, the theme is take climate action.
We already are feeling the first effects of climate change:
- Excessive precipitation leading to (flash-) floods.
- Wildfires: Last year’s Australian fire killed an estimated 1 billion (likely more) animals.
- Hail storms, thunderstorms, dust storms.
- Tornadoes, and cyclones
- Snowstorms in traditionally mild places and no winter at all in places where people have sleighs rusting in their sheds.
- Acidifying oceans killing coral reefs (an important nursery for many fish we eat).
- Droughts leading to starvation, leading to violence and rising numbers of refugees.
- A rapid extinction of species failing to adapt to changing seasonal rhythms fast enough causing a dangerous destabilization of the ecological balance our lives depend on.
I could go on. But this is a blog that focuses on positive things and things you can do about the negative ones. So let’s focus on celebrating Earth Day!
Despite the Corona pandemic, we will still celebrate this day and take action globally, albeit primarily digitally, or at a safe distance from other people.
How to Celebrate Earth Day
- Visit the earth day website today, to find an event near you. Because of Corona, you may have to check with the organizer if the event is taking place or if there are adaptive arrangements.
- Get people to join. Introduce Earth Day to your friends. Share the link to the website with everyone and use your social media to promote the event. Maybe you can even get a group together and create a public event that can be added to the website.
- Clean up. Do a run around the block, go for a walk in the forest or along the beach and pick up all the trash you find. Feel free to take a picture of your bounty and share it on your social media.
- Plant a Tree. This tree can be a special tree with a special meaning. For example, many people plant trees when a baby is born or when someone dies. Others make a habit of planting a tree every earth day and slowly build a little forest over their life time.
- Love. Go out. Look around you. Wherever you are, there will be nature in some form looking at you. Appreciate it. Take a picture, share it with friends or publicly so that others can also appreciate.
Further Ways to Take Climate Action
- Vote. You have political power. Use your vote in favour of a sustainable, green future. Also, contact your regional politicians and push for climate change action.
- Become an activist. Either on your own, or join an existing activist group like the strictly non-violent Extinction Rebellion.
- Follow an environmentalist lifestyle. Taking on my sustainability challenges is a good place to start.