Every year on April 22, over a million people celebrate Earth Day! As most know, Earth Day is a yearly event to promote the preservation of the environment and advocate for the protection of nature.
Earth Day first took place on April 22, 1970, to raise awareness about environmental concerns. Earth Day was established and led by Senator Gaylord Nelson and environmental activist Denis Hayes. Denis Hayes advocates for solar power and is currently the CEO of the Bullitt Foundation, a charitable grant organization created to support the welfare of people, society, and the environment.
Waste management is a significant part of the problem. Earth Day.org did a study that showed “over two billion metric tons of unsustainable, human-generated waste are thrown away globally every year, entering our environment and polluting every ecosystem around the world.” Most of this waste goes into landfills or is burned; these approaches harm the environment and cause major pollution problems.
What can you do to help the environment? Little things like recycling plastic, taking shorter showers, or even just turning off the lights when you leave a room can make a huge difference. If you want to make a larger impact, you can attend trash cleanups around your community. The best thing you can do is educate others on the state of our environment and how to better take care of it. We need the Earth to survive.
“I try to reduce my waste by using less plastic and reusing what I already have,” said 8th grader Lucia Atkins
Taking the time to reflect on our Earth and being mindful of how we can positively impact the planet we inhabit means we can make a difference, even if it’s just one piece of trash at a time.
“If you celebrate Earth Day, you’re automatically 10 times cooler,” said 8th grader Minh Dao.