Hello everyone! Angela here, the Live Green! Social Media Engagement Intern. I am so excited to introduce this month’s social media campaign entitled Celebrating Earth Month. Earth Day is on April 22, so dedicating the whole month to celebrating Earth is so important. Read on to learn about Earth Day and its history, the different celebrations held around the world, the current state of the Earth, some positive stories and information on our campus-wide Earth Day event later this month!
The Story Behind Earth Day
Every year on April 22, Earth Day is celebrated. But how did we get here? How did this holiday become official? The “Our History” page from earthday.org discusses the history of Earth Day in great detail. Here is an overview.
Decades leading up to the first Earth Day, many Americans were unaware of the harm that a polluted environment could cause. However, in 1962 Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller entitled Silent Spring changed many people’s views on the state of the environment. The book discussed concern for the environment, living organisms and the inescapable ties between pollution and health. More than 500,000 copies were sold in 24 countries. This led to the realization of the seriousness associated with these issues.
Senator Gaylord Nelson was concerned about the environment in the United States for quite some time. In January of 1969, he along with many others saw the devastating effects of a significant oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He wanted to take action and inform people about air and water pollution. He had the idea for a teach-in on college campuses and had conservation-minded Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey serve as his co-chair. He also recruited activist Denis Hayes to organize these teach-ins and bring this idea to broader audiences.
April 22 was the date chosen for the kickoff toward increasing awareness to a broader public. Once they realized the potential this had, Hayes recruited staff across the U.S. to promote events. This eventually expanded to include a variety of organizations. The initiative was named Earth Day, which eventually caught on across the country. The first official Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970. It inspired 20 million Americans to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums, addressing the environmental ramifications of 150 years of industrial development.
Since then, Earth Day has grown significantly. Today Earth Day is celebrated all over the world. In fact, according to an article from Sustain Life, Earth Day is the largest civic event in the world.
How Earth Day is Celebrated Around the World
Earth Day is celebrated in a diversity of ways all around the world. A blog from GBRI (Green Building Research Institute) entitled “How Is Earth Day Celebrated Around the World?” discusses some of the celebrations from different countries. Here is an overview.
United States
People in the United States celebrate Earth Day by attending rallies or other events and spreading awareness about this day.
Denmark
People in Denmark celebrate Earth Day by having drums played and pointed at the four corners of the world and attending the March for Science, a march aimed at ensuring accountability related to green goals and initiatives.
Japan
Japan’s Earth Day celebration lasts for two days. There is an event held in Yoyogi Park where people join to learn about and network with companies that promote sustainability and to participate in various family activities.
India
The Indian population participates in Earth Day festivities by dressing in green attire and hosting an event that focuses on protecting the Asian Elephant, an endangered and sacred species.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom hosts an event sponsored by various activists and musicians from all over the world to raise awareness and funds, specifically targeted to address climate change.
Spain
The people of Spain hold a 24-hour gathering entitled the “Global Unity and Regeneration Gathering,” that offers workshops and presentations focused on educating, engaging and empowering protection of the environment, individually and collectively.
Switzerland
The International School of Geneva in Switzerland hosts a green sale dedicating all funds toward assisting schools throughout the country in planting trees on their campuses.
South Africa
South Africa hosts Earth Expo, offering educational forums on topics such as climate change, technology and sustainable nutrition.
Australia
Australia’s capital city Sydney hosts four nature walks where experts discuss and help attendees discover native trees, plants, animals and insects.
These are just a few examples of the many different ways the world celebrates Earth Day. For more information on these celebrations and the importance of this day, refer to the GBRI article and the Now You Know article in this month’s Live Green! Monthly Newsletter.
The Current State of the Earth
This year is the 54th celebration of Earth Day – a rich history filled with activities, initiatives and involvement. So, how is the Earth currently doing in terms of climate change?
An article from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has a great article on the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) reports on climate change entitled “IPCC Climate Change Reports: Why They Matter to Everyone on the Planet.”
The IPCC serves as the leading scientific authority on all matters connected to climate change. The IPCC does not perform their own studies on climate change, rather they analyze the latest published peer reviewed studies on climate change and turn all that data into a report. These reports typically come out every six years. Here is an overview.
The IPCC began their warnings about climate change in 1990 with their First Assessment Report. Their Second Assessment published in 1995 showed strong certainty that human activities were a significant contributor to climate change. The Third Assessment published in 2001 warned that increases in temperature would become worse than expected if we did not reduce carbon emissions. When the Fourth Assessment was published in 2007, there was a definite consensus that human activity was a primary component of global warming. The Fifth Assessment published in 2014 came with some harsh news, there was an unexpected acceleration of climate change’s impacts due to greenhouse gas emissions being the highest they have ever been.
The Sixth Assessment, which is the most recent, was released in three parts. The first in 2021 and the final synthesis report in 2023. It warned that while emissions reductions are taking place, the rate of change is happening too slowly. Noting specifically that even if drastic measures to reduce emissions were in place, there would still be decades more warming. “Adaptation is essential, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable populations,” was the summarizing message.
To learn more about these reports and the IPCC, read the “IPCC Climate Change Reports: Why They Matter to Everyone on the Planet” article, or visit the IPCC Reports page.
Opportunities Forward
Although we are no longer within times of consideration of eliminating and avoiding climate change, we are still within times of reducing impact and the speed of impact. We have the information and a call to action in front of us. What are the options for individuals, organizations and communities to make a difference?
The exciting news is there are opportunities to move forward, and they are being pursued. Big or small, individual, organization or community – it all matters.
So, what’s happening big? Similarly to last year’s Earth Day Every Day blog, I would like to highlight some positive environmental stories so far from 2024. Here are some stories from One Tree Planted:
A California Startup is Finding Unique Ways to be Sustainable
Sway, a California-based organization, is using polymers found in seaweed to make compostable alternatives to thin-film plastics. Their innovative plastic bags biodegrade in about four to six weeks, which makes it a much more sustainable option than conventional plastic.
Sustainable Plushies Are on the Rise
Many plushies are gotten rid of once children get older, and they often end up in landfills. This is why Loved Before is turning pre-loved stuffies into sustainable toys for kids to enjoy!
An Indie Band Takes to Music to Protest Climate Change
Indie band Melt has been upset by world leaders’ lack of response to climate change. They wrote their song “Walk to Midnight” to educate their fans on climate change and inspire them.
A New Platform Helps Parents Teach Kids About Climate Change
“Future Chicken” is an “eco-tainment platform” that makes it easier for children today to understand issues such as climate change. While it airs on Canadian television, it can be streamed on YouTube around the world!
Earth Day, Every Day, Everyone
To ensure a sustainable future, it is vital that big things and small things happen together and on an ongoing basis. It all adds up and creates a multiplier effect like no other. Earth Day IS every day, and we all have the opportunity to make a difference.
Not sure where to start? There are so many ideas, resources and connections just a web search away! Just think of an area of environmental, social or economic sustainability you are interested in. Maybe it is waste reduction, local food, literacy, energy efficiency or fashion. Choose your topic and search for how to make a difference; choose an action or opportunity to start with and go! Then choose another and just keep going.
Many interests? Search “How to give back to the Earth” or “How to protect the Earth” and you will have a diversity of opportunities to choose from. There are also so many options to choose from during the entire month of April at Iowa State University and throughout the Ames community.
Celebrating Earth Day at Iowa State University
Earth Day is being celebrated every day throughout April on campus, in Ames and surrounding communities! The Office of Sustainability has created an Earth Month Calendar offering an easy online reference to assist you in being sustainably-engaged throughout the month. This month’s Live Green! Monthly newsletter Monthly Challenge offers some great ideas too! In addition, stay tuned for month-long highlights on Live Green!’s Facebook and Instagram.
Iowa State University’s big event for Earth Month happens at our Earth Day Celebration event, April 22 from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. on the South Library Lawn. Stop by for a diversity of Earth-minded engagement and empowerment opportunities, refreshments, sustainability-minded giveaways, bike tune-ups, pop-up ISU Repair Café (offering repair for skateboards, scooters, E-Bikes, wheelchairs and roller skates) and music from KURE. Learn more on the Earth Day Celebration event webpage on the ISU Events Calendar website.
A month filled with something for everyone! Enjoy!!
Thank you all so much for tuning into this month’s blog! I hope you all learned something new and are excited for a whole month ahead of celebrating Earth Day! As always, follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to stay up to date on all things Live Green! and stay tuned for next month’s campaign entitled New Beginnings as we wrap up the academic year for the 2023-2024 Live Green! Leadership Team.
Live Green! 