“On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.”
– www.earthday.org
Earth Day is a holiday that is held annually on April 22, and its aim is to increase awareness of environmental education and protection. The planet’s population is steadily increasing, but the health of the planet is declining. NASA has a ton of information on climate change, global warming, and what humans are currently doing to combat these issues.
In the wake of a global temperature increase, warming oceans, and rising sea levels, it is important that we take the time to educate ourselves on what’s going on with the environment.
Here are a few ways to celebrate Earth Day this year:
1. Plant plants.
Saving the bees has been a hot topic lately – as it should be. Cheerios even ran a campaign to give away wildflower seeds for people to plant and help the fuzzy guys out. Though Cheerios is no longer sending seeds out, you can celebrate Earth Day by planting your own plants or seeds. Some of the plants that promote bee life include lavender, rosemary, and sunflower. You can find a longer list of plants here.
2. Attend an Earth Day fair.
Earth Day fairs and events are filled with activities ranging from arts and crafts, music, speeches, and presentations that all promote environmental awareness. Atlanta hosts several free Earth Day events, including the Vine City Earth Day Festival, featuring eco-forward exhibitions and shows.
3. Netflix & chill.
Instead of re-watching The Office for the seventh time, get yourself in the spirit of Earth Day with some nature documentaries. Netflix has tons of engaging documentaries on all the beautiful happenings on your home planet. I suggest Planet Earth, Nature’s Great Events, 72 Cutest Animals, and, my personal favorite, Wings of Life. These documentaries give a whole new aspect to appreciation for Earth and the creatures inhabiting it.
4. Support environmentally-friendly companies/projects.
Kickstarter has an abundance of projects geared towards the creation of environmentally-friendly products all over the world. Take a gander through their projects to see what cool eco-forward projects are there. One project aims to develop a more environmentally friendly shipping methods using smarter designs and cleaner fuel. Another project from Grovolution wants to create mobile farming environments to combat the increase in population and decrease in space available to farm.
With such a variety of easy and fun ways to celebrate our Earth Day, anyone can advocate for environmental awareness this April. Take time to appreciate the beautiful planet you inhabit.