Introduction
Each year on April 22, the global community joins efforts in raising awareness about environmental protection. The global event, known as Earth day, was first celebrated in the USA on April 22, 1970. Environmental activists and supporters across the globe resolve to protect the Earth, prevent biodiversity loss, come up with solutions for overpopulation and the general depletion of environmental quality.
Earth Day: Brief History
- This day was first celebrated in 1970, even though its foundations were first laid in 1968.
- In 1968, the US Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium. The event inspired students to better understand how the actions of man were affecting the environment and general human health.
- The first Earth Day was not a celebration but a protest led by the actions of Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and environmental activist. Nelson demanded that his government create an environmental agency and students from colleges and schools joined him in a massive protest.
- The US government formed the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972 and passed the clean Air Act.
- In 1990, Earth Day went global with over 140 countries celebrating this event.
- In 1995 Gaylord Nelson was honoured with a Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Earth Day 2022 Theme
This year’s theme is “Invest in Our Planet”. This theme is calling on all earthly beings to create innovatively, sustainably and to encourage green business models across industries.
Governments and corporate structures are encouraged to adopt sustainable business models. The value chain’s impact should also be considered when making these decisions because sustainability is only as good as the innovators’ honesty and knowledge.
The theme, while encouraging society’s imperfections, proves that through joint and consistent efforts we can make a difference. The only way to achieve a sustainable and stable future is through collaboration and the adoption of a green global economy.
Celebrating Earth Day in 2022
Our voices can be heard through our social actions, choices and personal communications. As consumers, we influence the pace at which corporate structures and governments operate and innovate.
To prevent climate change we need to make bold choices now, learn to collaborate with like minded individuals and fight for sustainablke economic growth. If not our resources, biodiversity and economic failure will continue to thrive.
The list below is what people can do on the 22nd of April to commemorate Earth Day and work towards sustainable, global and economic stability:
- Join a digital platform or face-to-face conference where environmental knowledge is shared by scientists and scholars.
- Help a non-green school organise their garbage disposal.
- Donate old clothes to a business that upcycles damaged garments for profit.
- Donate money to an independent green organisation of your choice.
- Write a letter to a government department and demand policy changes and a follow up to your concerns.
The list is a suggestion of what individuals can do in their own capacity to make a change on the day. Climate restoration, however, should be an everyday effort through our consumption habits, and through sustainable innovation within governments and corporate structures.
