Earth Month Inspo

It’s hard to imagine a world where clear skies, clean water, and beautiful greenery are just memories. Earth Month is the perfect time to put eco-friendly practices in place and advocate for policies that protect the environment. Now’s the time to join the global movement and make every day Earth Day. Here, we will see the Earth Day 2024 theme, brief history, and activities during April 2024.
Earth Day History
Earth Day, first observed on April 22, 1970, is considered the beginning of the modern environmental movement. As a response to increasing environmental concerns, like the oil spill in Santa Barbara in 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day to raise awareness about how to protect the environment. Nelson and activist Denis Hayes organized teach-ins on college campuses that included various groups and organizations, drawing inspiration from protest teach-ins of the era. With this massive mobilization, the U.S. developed key environmental laws, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created.
Here’s what Earth Day means to the world:
Origins and Initial Impact (1970): During Earth Day’s first year, 20 million people became aware of the environment, leading to significant environmental changes in the U.S., like the EPA being formed and landmark environmental laws like the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act passed.
Global Expansion (1990): Earth Day expanded globally in 1990, involving 200 million people in 141 countries. Observing this global event contributed to the momentum for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit by elevating environmental issues on a global level.
Earth Day 2024 Theme
The theme of Earth Day 2024 is “Planet vs. Plastics”. This is about fighting the big problem of plastic all over the world. Earth Day organization wants to bring people from different places together. The goal is to make much less plastic, 60% less by 2040. We want a future without so much plastic. This is not just about having less trash, but it is also about keeping us and the environment healthy.
Kathleen Rogers, from earthday.org, tells us that plastic is everywhere, even inside us. This is bad for our health. Small pieces of plastic, called microplastics, are getting into our food, water, and air. They can be harmful. In the last 10 years, we have made more and more plastic and this is dangerous for both the environment and our health.
Denis Hayes, another Earth activist, says the petrochemical industry is a big part of the problem. This industry makes a lot of plastic. Often, they put their factories in poor areas. This hurts the people and the environment there. Surprisingly, most items, like plastic bags and drinking bottles, are not recycled. Also, making plastic bottles uses a lot of water.
The fast fashion industry is another problem. They make a lot of clothes but don’t recycle much. They use materials from crude oil. This makes the plastic problem worse. This industry is also unfair to workers and is not well controlled.
This is why the Earth Day organization wants countries to work together. They say we should stop making single-use plastics by 2030. They also want a Global Plastics Treaty (GPT). This is a big step toward making things better.
It’s time for all of us to understand and fight this crisis. There should be strict rules against fast fashion using plastic. We should look for different materials and new technologies. We need to tell more people about this problem. If we stop using single-use plastics and ask for international action, we can create a healthier and better world.
Earth Day 2024: Latest Events
Audubon is organizing Earth Day 2024 events in different parts of the U.S. to celebrate wildlife and birds. Activities include habitat restoration, learning about climate change, birdwatching, and conservation puzzles. Highlights include climate education in Greenwich, planting in Los Angeles, a puzzle trail in Maitland, outdoor activities in New York and Oyster Bay, Earth Day celebrations in Naples and Florissant, a native plant sale in Audubon, PA, and free entry in San Antonio. These events support bird and habitat conservation.
Check out more Earth Month events: https://www.earthreminder.com/earth-day-2024-theme-activities-events

Wishing you a wonderful Earth Month! Thanks for reading and we welcome your comments.

Akasha Lin
Akasha Garnier for #TheWishwall
Author, Brand Expert, Filmmaker
#ShineThroughtheNoise
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