Introduction

Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day, a global event where millions come together to show their love for our environment. It’s also the start of Happy Earth Cleaning Co-op’s Earth Week celebration! This week, we’re bringing you a lineup of fun activities, education, and helpful tips to make a positive difference for our planet. 

Origins of Earth Day

Earth Day has been around for 54 years, starting back in 1970. It all began when U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson was moved by the damage caused by a huge oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the growing concern for the environment, and methods of the student anti-war movement, he proposed a “national teach-in on the environment.” This idea caught on, and on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was born. Since then, it has led to important laws to protect our air, water, and wildlife, including:

  • The Clean Air Act
  • The Clean Water Act
  • The Endangered Species Act 
  • Creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Each year, the Earth Day Network keeps the tradition of Earth Day going by bringing together communities around the world in a huge campaign to tackle modern-day environmental problems. This year, the theme is Planet vs. Plastics. Our staff will be learning about all the ways plastics harm our environment, and the ways we can be part of the solution. Learn along with us by keeping up with our daily blog posts this week!

Celebrating Earth Day

Here at Happy Earth, we’re wearing earthy colors like green and blue today to show our respect for our beautiful planet. To kick things off, we teamed up with the Southeast Como Neighborhood Association for a clean-up event at Van Cleve Park. Armed with gloves, trash bags, and unwavering enthusiasm, our team joined community members in removing litter and debris from our streets and local green spaces. It was amazing to see everyone come together to make our neighborhood cleaner and greener!

Action Plan

As we celebrate Earth Day, we know that climate change has already begun. It’s normal to feel grief, anxiety, anger, or sadness about the destruction of our environment. At the same time, let’s remember that there’s still hope for our planet! We need to hold fast to climate optimism and take bold actions now to regenerate our world and prevent further harm.

Will you join us in taking at least one of the following actions?

  • Learn about plastic pollution – this year’s Earth Day theme.
  • Check out a local Zero-waste store, and try to replace at least one single-use plastic product you regularly use.
  • Donate to Earth Day.org  to support climate education and activism worldwide.
  • Write a letter or email to your representatives, asking them to take action on plastic pollution.
    • You can find your representatives here.
    • Here is a sample letter template – copy, paste, edit, and send.
      • The “edit” part is important! Imagine you’re a representative – which would leave you a stronger impression, ten emails that were obviously copy-and-pasted, or one unique and heartfelt message?

Together, we can make a big impact and ensure a healthy planet for the future. Join us tomorrow as we dive into the world of plants and explore how plastic pollution affects them.