Celebrating Earth Day Everyday!
Let’s rethink how we celebrate Earth Day.
Earth Day came to life after the 1969, oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. At the time this was the largest oil spill in United States waters with an estimated 4.2 million gallons of oil spilled (that can fill over 6 Olympic sized swimming pools). Today it ranks as the third largest spill. This oil spill was due to a blow-out that occurred on Union Oil’s Platform A in the Dos Cuadras Offshore Oil Field just 6 miles (10km) off the Santa Barbara coast line and was not initially disclosed.
A year later after witnessing the devastating effects of this oil spill, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin and Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey worked together to bring attention to the environmental crisis with participation across college campuses. They started Earth Day, to be celebrated on April 22nd, a national event. Earth Day brought together Democrat and Republican politicians, private sectors, and NGO’s leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency by the end of 1970.
As years pass it has evolved into an event when companies, individuals and government comes together to recognize the role the earth plays in our livelihood all while explaining how we need to come together to protect it. Yet once this day is over, this message seems to be forgotten. So I am asking you to take a break on this day, sit down and think about what action(s) you can personally take to help our planet year round.
I love that Earth Day brings us all together for a day, week or even a month to talk about sustainability, but we need to continue these actions after the social media posts of Earth Day stop.
Reminder! Earth Day is not just one day a year when we need to take action and can then forget about our effects. We need to continuously dedicate time to reminding ourselves to keep growing and improving. Because guess what, we all depend on it.
It has never been more clear that we as a global network need to act now and make real change in the way we work as a society in order to hit net zero by 2050. We need to stop living in a circular economy and start living in a linear one. That means change the way we build products, change the way we shop and change the way we view consumption.
How you can make a positive change for the planet :
Many of you might be thinking how can I make real change as a single person? Well, is there a way to incorporate sustainability into your job or hobby?
Are you a product designer. Can you design the new appliance to be easily fixable when a piece breaks down or needs an upgraded part? This will help keep a portion of items out of the landfills.
Are you an architect? Can you build your next house keeping natural materials in mind? Or build based on the natural land?
Are you a teacher? Can you incorporate zero waste material into the curriculum bringing sustainable information to a broader audience?
Are you an artist? Can you use plastic you find on the beach in your work? This helps clean up pollution and the landfills.
Are you an influencer? Can you repeat your outfit and bring attention to slow fashion?
We each have unique skills and need to use that to our advantage! Now what are you going to do? Comment below and let me know how you want to improve throughout the years to come.
Not ready to incorporate sustainability into your job? If you are looking for simple ways to get started toward living eco-responsible year round check out my blog about 5 steps you can take in your daily life.
FEATURE POSTS
These areas, characterized by waterlogged soil and aquatic vegetation, are not just habitats for diverse wildlife, but they also provide a range of benefits to both the local community and the planet as a whole. From protecting against natural disasters to mitigating the effects of climate change, wetlands are vital to our survival.