Welcome, Let's Chat Earth Day!
Hi! Welcome! My name is Tiffany, the blogger behind Climate Kindness, a new blog focused on sharing information and recommendations to inspire action to help the climate. And what better day to launch a new environmental blog, than on the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day?
A little about me - I grew up as a recycler and always thought that made me very eco-conscious, until I realized that recycling is reactive when there are a lot of proactive measures that make an even greater impact. Since then, I have been making changes and I’m continually on the lookout for other ways to help. Sharing the information I learn and the recommendations I have as a result is my way of showing others that becoming more eco-conscious is important and does not have to mean major changes for your daily routine (although, if that's the route you want to go, awesome!). If a fraction of readers start making changes to the way they think and the products they buy (or don't), think of the larger impact that could make collectively. I'll do the research and all you need to do is follow along to see what updates make sense for you. Easy, right?
All right, let's start with some info Earth Day. Did you know that this year is the 50th Anniversary?! That's right, what we now know as Earth Day first took place in 1970 when US Senator Gaylord Nelson suggested a “teach-in” be held on April 22nd. He was one of many that were inspired to act after seeing the results of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, and as anti-war protests were popular during this time, he suggested combining the ideas to raise awareness about the issues harming our planet. He recruited a co-chair, Pete McCloskey, and they recruited a young activist, Denis Hayes, to coordinate the event. During the first Earth Day, around 10% of the US population, 20 million people, acted in favor of eco-support. Back then, Earth Day crossed party lines with advocates from all walks of life. And it was a success! The United States Environmental Protection Agency was founded later that year, and the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts were all passed.
In 1990, on the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day, it went global, with organizers engaging 200 million people in 141 countries. In 2010, on the 40th anniversary, A Billion Acts of Green® and The Canopy Project were started, and 192 countries rallied for the day. Today, Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world, with more than one billion people recognizing it as a day of action to "change human behavior and provoke policy changes."
So what does this mean for you? Do something in honor of Earth Day! What? Well, that's up to you, but here are some ideas:
Tune in to Earth Day Live
Donate to an environmental cause - here are just a few suggestions: Earth Day, Protect Our Winters, National Park Foundation
Plant a tree yourself or donate to The Canopy Project to help them plant ($1 = 1 tree)
Replace a plastic product with something reusable (If you're not sure where to start, Stasher bags are great replacements for plastic sandwich bags and they’re on sale for Earth Day! Or these are some of my favorite reusable straws. And don't worry, I'll have a lot more posts coming your way on product swaps)
Omit meat from your meals for the day
Start recycling, if you don't already (make sure you follow your local guidelines)
Watch an environmental documentary - some of my recent faves are A Plastic Ocean, available on Netflix or to rent or buy on Amazon, and The True Cost, available on Amazon Prime
Thanks so much for reading this post. I hope it's the start of a wonderfully eco-journey together. Also, I consider myself a constant learner, so I would love for readers to help educate me as well on news, tips, recommendations, and more. Reach out with questions, comments, or suggestions through my social channels (links at the top of the page) or via email.
We only have one planet, let's be kind to it!