By Dela Ahiawor (sustainability editor)
As Earth Day 2023 looms, we’re expected to take action towards a greener, more equitable future for our planet. Saturday, April 22, 2023 marks the 53rd anniversary of Earth Day, the biggest environmental protest movement across the globe.
The theme for Earth Day 2023 is, “Invest in Our Planet.” Earth Day was founded in the U.S. in 1970 by American politician and environmentalist, Gaylord Anton Nelson after he witnessed the havoc caused by the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
EARTHDAY.ORG, the global impresario of Earth Day in a statement to DEL REPORT said: ” it is important to remember regardless of where you are or what you do, you have the power to yield real change and be a champion for Earth. To protect our planet, we must invest in it. Rallying behind this year’s theme, Invest in Our Planet, which highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving the climate crisis.”
EARTHDAY.ORG proffers 7 ways you can actively participate in Earth Day 2023:
Plant trees or a pollinator garden
Trees are one of the most powerful tools to combat the climate crisis. Attend a local tree planting event or donate to campaigns, like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Project, to help reforestation efforts across the world.
Pollination is essential for all terrestrial life on Earth. Plant a pollinator garden using species native to your area to support local populations of butterflies, bees, and other organisms critical to sustained biodiversity in your ecosystem.
Reduce your plastic consumption
Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems we face in today’s world. We all contribute to this problem and must work to reduce, and ultimately end, plastic pollution. Make a plan this Earth Day to reduce your plastic consumption using EARTHDAY.ORG’s plastic calculator.
Participate in advocacy
Educate yourself about the science behind climate change and show responsibility in addressing it by taking climate action to the next level. Send a letter to your local elected officials, speak up at your next town hall meeting, or use EARTHDAY.ORG’s Vote Earth hub to learn about your voting rights, register to vote, and get reminders for important voting deadlines.
Make sustainable fashion choices
Fast fashion has completely revolutionized the apparel industry, but not for the better. Learn about the detrimental impacts of fast fashion, the importance of sustainable fashion, and commit to responsible consumption.
Plan your own event
It’s easy to start your own Earth Day event! Whether it be a community cleanup, march, teach-in, or rally, EARTHDAY.ORG has step-by-step instructions on how to organize your Earth Day activity in their Earth Day 2023 Action Toolkit. Be sure to register any and all events you plan on the official Earth Day Map.
Donate
By donating to a campaign supporting the environmental movement, like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Project, you are not only making a difference, you’re empowering change and mobilizing individuals to take part in building a better world for generations to come.
Activate on social media
Creating content for the world to see is critical in communicating the importance of climate action. Whether you create posters and banners, or plan/attend a march, rally, cleanup, or any other popular Earth Day event, be sure to post what you’re doing to tag #EarthDay and/or #InvestInOurPlanet to spread awareness around the environmental movement and possibly be featured on EARTHDAY.ORG’s social channels.
https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2023/
www.delreport.com
