On April 22 we will globally recognise Earth Day. A day where we are all encouraged to do better for our planet. We explain the history behind Earth Day, what it means, and how this year’s theme, Invest In Our Planet is relevant to us all.
Here, we’ll walk you through 10 simple actions you can take this Earth Day to make a big difference. From tweeting for change to eating meat-free, to volunteering your time, there are loads of ways we can make a big difference.
What is Earth Day?🌎
Earth Day was first recognised in 1970 as a day of global action for our planet. People, businesses, and governments are encouraged to end plastic pollution, fight climate change and protect our precious lands, air, water and wildlife.
For the last 50+ years, it has been a day where billions come together to fight for our planet.
Earth Day 2022 #InvestInOurPlanet
This year, the theme is Invest In Our Planet. The theme recognises that the time is now to save our planet and that actually, climate change will deeply and negatively impact our world economies. That’s why private sector innovation is needed to create the fast and impactful change our planet needs.
Lobby your local politician or councillor
Does your local area offer fewer recycling options than neighbouring areas? Or is there nowhere to recycle your rubbish when you’re out and about? If you’ve noticed changes that should be made in your area then it is time to lobby your local representative.
Ready to #InvestInOurPlanet, write to your local MP and ask them to invest in sustainable business and sustainable energy.
Encourage people in your area to do the same by providing them with a template they can use and ways that they can send a letter or email.
Think of the huge knock on effects if we all encouraged just 5 other people to send an email addressing the climate this Earth Day - it could be monumental.
To track the impact of Earth Day, you can even let the organisers know that you’re planning to contact your local MP.
Volunteer
Whether you’re a climate change expert or a plastic-free newbie, there are loads of ways you can volunteer to support Earth Day. This could be educating others, helping at a local event, or helping a local school or university to make a change.
Become part of a billion acts of green
We know we bang on about this a lot at EcoVibe but small actions can make a big difference, especially when more and more people do them. Why not pledge to take just one simple act of green this year?
Examples include carrying reusable shopping bags, carrying around eating utensils so you don’t end up with disposable ones, and making some meat-free meals. Ready to make a pledge? You can do so here.
#InvestInOurPlanet
Think about changes that can be made where you work and speak to the higher-ups about implementing these changes. Own your own business? Earth Day is the perfect time to create your sustainability policy impactful.
Feeling ready for Earth Day 2022?
We love to hear it! We’ve explained how to get involved in this billion person movement and why after over 50 years, Earth Day is still incredibly important. We’ve given you some insights into Earth Day, how you can get involved, and explained this year’s theme, #InvestInOurPlanet. We’ve then covered 10 simple actions you can take this Earth Day. Some you’ll need to plan for like setting up an event, volunteering, or getting involved in community actions like litter picking, and others you can simply do on the day, like eating better for our planet, making a green pledge, or writing to your MP.
Feeling inspired? We’d love to know what you get up to, and make sure you tag us if you tweet for change!
Individuals and communities are being encouraged to push for changes in the businesses they work for and the businesses they buy from. As businesses are no longer choosing between sustainability and profitability. Profitability and sustainability go hand in hand for the successful businesses of now and the future.
It’s time for citizens to tell business leaders that sustainability matters and to campaign and lobby to stop our governments from subsidising industries like fossil fuels that are damaging to our planet.
Ready to take action on April 22? Here’s how...
Discover Earth Day live
Deep dive into all of the content from Earth Day live, an annual online conference from changemakers across the globe. Spend time educating yourself, feeling empowered and inspired to make a change.
Tweet for change
Social media is a powerful tool. Imagine if, for one day, all we saw was a sea of content all about our planet? Well, the organisation behind Earth Day have made this easy to achieve, by sharing suggested copy for Tweets, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram posts in their 2022 Action Toolkit.
We love this example Tweet in particular:
I am excited to be part of EARTHDAY.ORG’s #InvestInOurPlanet campaign, in celebration of the 52nd anniversary Earth Day! A more sustainable world starts with all of us. See how you can get more involved here: https://bit.ly/3neB4pN
Community is everything to us here at EcoVibe and we truly believe that small changes can make a big difference. Can we get all of our EcoViber's to share the above tweet? We’d love to see it!
Get involved in an event or set up your own
You can find a range of Earth Day events happening across the country but why not take some time to set up your own? It could be anything from a community litter pick, a vegan meal, or you could even invite expert speakers to join you. It may only be a few weeks away but you can absolutely make a difference and you’ll be able to connect with local people who are just as passionate about reducing climate change as you are!
Plant trees
Whether you join an organised tree planting or just want to offset your carbon emissions, planting trees and reforestation can help repair our environment in a big way.
We love the Rainforest Trust and support them with every single purchase made on our site, but you can also donate to them directly. They protect woodlands for people, wildlife and the climate.
When waste isn’t properly disposed of so that it can be recycled it can cause a lot of problems. From wildlife getting trapped to microplastics ending up in our waterways, waste in our environment is not good.
So this earth day, it’s time to get litter picking, also known as “plogging”. It’s a great excuse to get outdoors, which does wonders for your wellbeing, as well as making a difference to your local community and the planet.
Fight climate change with diet change
A small change to your diet can make a big impact on the planet.
Don’t believe us, here are some stats:
- Beyond Burger requires 93% less land than a beef burger
- Per calorie of protein, poultry creates 40 times more greenhouse gases than legumes
The BBC website has a great tool where you can calculate the carbon footprint of the foods we eat. Ready for a challenge? See how close you can get to a carbon-neutral meal this Earth Day?
Ready to reduce your foodprint? Check out these low foodprint recipes for inspiration!