How to celebrate Earth Day 2021 and help ‘Restore Our Earth’
When is Earth Day 2021?
Thursday, April 22nd 2021 marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day! It’s the biggest annual event of the year for raising awareness for climate change and environmental causes. This year’s three days of climate action has already kicked off at EARTHDAY.ORG featuring virtual events and live streams by guest speakers across the world. But what is Earth Day? Why do people celebrate it? How can people get involved in the day? Find out more and get involved.
When did Earth Day first start?
In 1970, the first Earth Day came to be. The event saw a remarkable 20 million citizens of the USA taking to the streets – around 10% of the country’s population at that time! Millions of Americans, especially students from universities across the entire nation, took part in rallies, marches and educational programs. “Don’t underestimate your power. When your voice and your actions are united with thousands or millions of others around the world, we create a movement that is inclusive, impactful, and impossible to ignore.” These are the words of the EARTHDAY.ORG that stand true now as they did five decades ago.
Why do we have Earth Day?
Since the beginnings of Earth Day over fifty years ago, the event has led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EARTHDAY.ORG continues to educate and inspire millions of people about environmental issues as well as raising funds for efforts to benefit the planet. In 2016, leaders from 175 countries came together with a shared aim of limiting the global warming rise to “well below 2°C” by signing the Paris Climate Agreement.
What is the theme for Earth Day this year?
The theme for Earth Day 2021 is ‘Restore Our Earth’. A beautiful message after the events of the last year – this is a time to heal the planet and the life within it. The focus is on natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. We love this initiative!
How can people get involved in Earth Day 2021?
Over on the Earth Day website, you’ll find workshops, panel discussions, and special performances that will focus on the ‘Restore Our Earth’ theme. Other topics include reforestation efforts, equity and environmental justice, cleanups, and more. As the website says, “world climate leaders, grassroots activists, nonprofit innovators, thought leaders, industry leaders, artists, musicians, influencers, and the leaders of tomorrow will come to push us towards a better world”. This is not to be missed!
How can people celebrate Earth Day?
If you’re feeling inspired by all that’s happening on Earth Day, what can you do to take action to help? You could:
- Join a clean up – Earth Day Org have launched a Great Global Clean-Up initiative. Individuals and organizations are welcome to take part in clean-up events up until early May. They’ve set an astounding goal of removing 1 BILLION pieces of rubbish from beaches, parks, city streets and more.
- Chat to your mates – if you learned something new during the Earth Day talks, read an informative post on social media or was inspired by a guest speaker, keep that discussion going with your friends and family.
- Support reforestation projects – There are lots of great ways to support projects no matter your financial situation. If you can donate, Earth Day Canopy Project promises to plant one tree for every one dollar donated. If you can’t afford to donate, check out Woodland Trust who are sending hundreds of thousands of free trees to schools and communities. You can also check out our own amazing app (humble brag) which empowers you to support a rainforest protection project doing incredible work in the Amazon (more below!).
Help the planet with Earth Rewards this Earth Day!
In the Earth Rewards app, you’ll find quizzes and lessons that raise awareness for various environmental-related subjects – they’re super fun, quick and informative. Plus… we’re giving away 10 Earth Rewards points for every activity you complete. That means there’s a whopping, 100 carbon-busting points free to earn today. What can that achieve?
- Save 10 trees from deforestation ✅
- Protect 200sqm of Amazon Rainforest ✅
- Enable you to offset 100kg of your carbon emissions! ✅
Together, we can restore our planet! Happy Earth Day ??