Earth Day, like a birthday, Happy Birthday Earth!!!
I'm being silly, Earth Day isn't the day that we celebrate the Earth's birthday, it's the day that we celebrate how amazing the Earth is and it's a day to focus on what we're all going to do to look after it.
The first Earth Day was on the 22nd of April 1970 and was started by a US Senator, Gaylord Nelson after he witness the utter devastation caused by an oil spill in California. After this 20 million Americans joined together to try to stop anything like that disaster from happening again, but they also wanted to stop all of the man made harm that is damaging the planet. Everyday rain forests are being cute down to grow crops to feed farm animals, palm trees are being destroyed for palm oil, animals are dying because their homes have been ripped down. In the seas and oceans plastic poisons the fish, whales, dolphins and coral, chemicals washed into the water causes dead zones where nothing can live and fishing causes untold amounts of damage.
There are a lot of events going on all over the world to mark Earth Day this year. On the 27th of April there is Sing for Earth Day in St Albans where you can gather with other people who are concerned about the future of the planet. At Somerset House in London until the 5th of May is Anxious Oceans and the Moon Bathers by Hyphen Labs,
"Visitors are invited to engage with future sea-creatures, ponder the unseen and distant impacts of everyday city life that are reflected in consumer culture, and re-imagine the legacy of humanity through the eyes of the ocean."
You could organise your own Earth Day event. get a group of friends together and clean up a local area, a stream, park or woodland. You could have a tree planting party, you could clear out toys, books and games that you don't want and take them to your local charity shop or swap things with your friends. Another idea that people often like is a cake sale. You could bake cakes and sell them to everyone that you know and donate the money to a charity that is working to save the planet.
But, what can we do as individuals to help halt the damage to the planet? It's all about the small changes that we make, the positives choices in our everyday lives. We can walk instead of driving or use public transport if we are going farther. The can have holidays in our own countries instead of getting a plane to somewhere far away. Recycling waste reduces the need to cut down trees for paper and reduces pollution from plastic. there is also the choice to avoid plastic when it's not necessary, do you really need a straw for your drink or can you cope without one? You can also support organisations that are working to save the planet either by donating money or using your time to help them. One of the biggest things that you can do to have a huge positive impact on the Earth's future is to go meat free. Obviously, if you're vegan you're already doing an amazing job, but there is always more that we can do, telling your friends and family about the importance of making good choices and leading by example are powerful tools. Be a bright shining example of how we can all do better.
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