6 Earth Day 2015 Ideas – Arizona Hikers Guide 6 Earth Day 2015 Ideas – Arizona Hikers Guide
by Cameron Jarman on April 22, 2015
Today is April 22nd, the 45th anniversary of Earth Day. Started in 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. Every year since 1970, Earth Day has become a day to celebrate our world, to come together collectively as a civilization and brainstorm how to take less and give back more to our Mother Earth. Today is a day to collaborate, to come together, and to celebrate our Earth and I am going to give you some ideas to help spread the word and the love!
Why April 22nd?
There are a few reasons why the date for Earth Day lands on April 22nd each year. Peace activist John McConnell in 1969 first proposed the concept of an Earth Day and wanted to celebrate it on March 21st, the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. A short time later an official date was secured and founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson and was declared as Earth Day, April 22nd. Here’s why;
- Earth Day’s Founder chose the date to maximize the amount of college participation. The week that April 22nd falls on is neither finals week nor is it Spring Break.
- It does not interfere with Easter or Passover.
- It is the day after the anniversary of the birth of John Muir, the legendary conservationist.
What Is The Goal Of Earth Day?
Every year, Earth Day celebrates a new cause. This year’s tag line is “It’s Our Turn To Lead” which is described by Earthday.org below. They state three powerful objectives;
One billion people still live on less than $1.25 per day. One of the biggest controversies over a treaty has been the issue that developing countries don’t want to give up economic growth no matter the environmental cost, since the US and other developed countries got to pollute their way to the top… read more
Those most affected by climate change are low-income or marginalized populations. The Pacific Island nation of Kiribati, for example – one of the poorest places on Earth — was the first country to declare its land uninhabitable due to sea level rise from climate change, and has asked for help in evacuating its population. Even more people will fall into poverty and food will become more scarce if we don’t stop our misuse of the planet.
Eradicating global poverty is possible but only in a world where all countries commit to a low carbon future. We’ve got the technology. All we need is the will. Sustainability can be the answer to development, the only answer.
Grassroots Making a Difference
Over 400,000 people came together this past September in NYC for the biggest climate march of all time. Their call for action from the city streets reverberated around the world. They rallied for their leaders to recognize the catastrophic implications of climate change.
Their call did not fall on deaf ears. As Obama said in his speech at the NYC Climate Summit that week, “We cannot pretend we cannot hear them. We must answer their call.” Let’s make 2015 the year when our world leaders pay attention and answer our call.
Over the past 20 years, there have been a series of failed attempts to create an effective international treaty on climate change mitigation. In 1997, the first major international agreement was passed, The Kyoto Protocol. The US—one of the top polluters—didn’t ratify. Since then, many Summits and many efforts to come to agreement—Rio, Copenhagen—have ended in a flop. (see more)- But Paris must be it! Governmental, business, and non-profit leaders must come to an agreement that will cut our emissions and limit our warming to 2°C.
Let’s make 2015 the year when our leaders pass a historic binding, global climate treaty.
What Can You Do?
Earth Day was intended as a day for action and involvement. Here are some easy things to help spread the word and the cause;
- Volunteer. There are several places to volunteer your time or your money. For me, I don’t necessarily like to volunteer my money so I usually give my time. Here is a link to Earth Day Phoenix for opportunities in the valley.
- Get involved. Go to an event, a rally, a community party, or some other type of collaborative event. People spend a lot of time and effort to host these events and it takes masses of people to make them successful. Here is an AZCentral article with 6 events throughout the valley.
- Plant something. My only rule is to make sure to plant a native plant in your area. If you live in the desert like I do, plant something that requires little to no water so we don’t further deplete our scarce resource.
- Clean Something. Go outside and pick up trash in your yard, neighborhood, park, school, streets, parking lots, and everywhere else you see trash.
- Change a Habit. If you buy bottled water and drink 20 of them a day, go buy a stinking refillable bottle. If you buy individual serving sizes with tons of packaging, consider buying stuff in bulk. If you go to the store and use 40 plastic bags, get some reusable ones instead. Start recycling. Ride your bike to work if possible. Do something that will save our planet’s natural resources. Here is an awesome website (Life Without Plastic) for ideas to eliminate plastic from your life.
- Spread the Word. If you can’t fathom doing any of the things above you can at least text, Tweet, Gram, or Facebook about it.
Let me know what you are going to do today to celebrate and conserve our world in the comments below. I’d love to hear about them!
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