Earth Day and Going Green
Since 1970, Earth Day has been observed every April 22 to help bring awareness to the struggle to help save the environment. While Earth Day was originally only observed in the United States, it is now celebrated in more than 175 countries across the globe. This means that every year, millions of people around the world unite in their efforts to curb their energy use, fuel consumption and take many other actions to positively impact the earth.
In a time where terms like “climate change,” “energy crisis,” and “ozone depletion” have become common use in everyday language, it is more important than ever that we all do what we can to contribute to the restoration of the planet. There are some simple things you can do in your daily life to help in the efforts, like recycling, using public transportation or walking rather than driving, or picking up any trash you see in public areas.
There are also ways you can contribute on a more global scale. Earth Day Network, the group that organizes global Earth Day events and causes every year, has put together a new campaign for this year’s celebration with projects focusing on many different areas. Here are a few of the many elements of the 2011 Earth Day campaign:
Women and Green Economy (WAGE) focuses on using the leadership of women to help stimulate a global green economy. WAGE was created because women make up over half of the world’s population and studies have shown that women also make 85 percent of all consumer choices. Therefore, as more women are constantly rising to positions of power worldwide, they have the ability to lead the way to a sustainable green economy.
Arts for the Earth is an educational program that strives to teach environmental education through museums and other arts communities. It will also encourage schools to create Earth Day programs.
The Canopy Project aims to plant millions of trees worldwide where they are greatly needed, such as in Haiti, Germany, and urban areas of the United States.
Green Schools, as the name suggests, intends to turn schools “green” by finding ways to make them run on less energy and at lower costs.
At Truly Organic Baking, we support all efforts to make our world a more livable place. To learn more about these and many other programs, or other ways that you can contribute time or money to the many great Earth Day causes, visit Earth Day Network’s website at www.earthday.org.
