Invest In Our Planet

As far as we here at the Old Town Crier are concerned every day should be Earth Day….we hope that all of you reading this agree. Always nice to pay some special attention to Mother Earth on her day.

This year marks the 53rd anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement, commemorated annually as Earth Day. Since 1970, billions of individuals from more than 190 countries worldwide have come together every April 22nd to take action towards a greener, more equitable future for our planet. As the countdown to Earth Day 2023 continues, it is important to remember regardless of where you are or what you do, you have the power to yield real change and be a champion for Earth. To protect our planet, we must invest in it.

Rallying behind this year’s theme, Invest in Our Planet, highlights the importance of dedicating our time, resources, and energy to solving the climate crisis. The idea behind the day

Did You Know?

- honoring the planet and all living things that inhabit it - originated with the early 1960’s hippie era. That’s when Earth Day bloomed into a grass roots movement that resulted in the first official U.S. observance of Earth Day.

Not only should we be concerned with the climate, we need to be mindful of the living beingsincluding ourselves - that are affected by the changes. Besides the more visibly exotic African animals under threat, bees and other insects responsible for pollinating the world’s plant population continue to be decimated by the use of insecticides. Marine animals have been devastated, with turtles particularly hard hit due to destruction of nesting grounds. Meanwhile, climate change threatens almost 75% of the world’s coral reefs.

Today, many cities extend Earth Day celebrations for an entire week to increase awareness of recycling and better energy efficient communities. Come April, major cities in the US and Canada honor Earth Day from coast to coast by hosting civic ceremonies and interactive programs to get everyone involved.

• Exceeding all expectations, 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day observance in 1970. Celebrations effectively stopped traffic in New York City when 20,000 people packed Union Square to see Hollywood actor Paul Newman and hear a speech by New York City Mayor John Lindsay, who arrived on an electric bus.

How to Earth Day 2023

Plant trees or a pollinator garden.

Trees are one of the most powerful tools to combat the climate crisis. Attend a local tree planting event or donate to campaigns, like EARTHDAY.ORG’s The Canopy Project, to help reforestation efforts across the world.

Pollination is essential for all terrestrial life on Earth. Plant a pollinator garden using species native to your area to support local populations of butterflies, bees, and other organisms critical to sustained biodiversity in your ecosystem. Reduce your plastic consumption.

Plastic pollution is one of the most important environmental problems we face in today’s world. We all contribute to this problem and must work to reduce, and ultimately end, plastic

• John McConnell was the creator of the first Earth Day Flag. His design was inspired when he saw the first picture of the Earth, later dubbed “The Blue Marble”, printed in Life magazine.

• Throughout the 1970’s, Earth Day observances eventually led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection pollution. Make a plan this Earth Day to reduce your plastic consumption using EARTHDAY.ORG’s plastic calculator.

Participate in advocacy.

Educate yourself about the science behind climate change and show responsibility in addressing it by taking climate action to the next level. Send a letter to your local elected officials, speak up at your next town hall meeting, or use EARTHDAY.

ORG’s Vote Earth hub to learn about your voting rights, register to vote, and get reminders for important voting deadlines.

Make sustainable fashion choices.

Fast fashion has completely revolutionized the apparel industry, but not for the better. Learn about the detrimental impacts of fast fashion, the importance of sustainable fashion, and commit to responsible consumption.

Plan your own event.

It’s easy to start your own Earth Day event! Whether it be a community cleanup, march, teach-in, or rally, EARTHDAY.ORG has step-by-step instructions on how to organize your Earth Day activity in their Earth Day 2023 Action Toolkit. Be sure to register any and all events you plan on the official Earth Day Map. Donate.

By donating to a campaign supporting the environmental movement, like EARTHDAY. ORG’s The Canopy Project, you are not only making a difference, you’re empowering change and mobilizing individuals to take part in building a better world for generations to come. Activate on social media.

Creating content for the world to see is critical in communicating the importance of climate action. Whether you create posters and banners, or plan/attend a march, rally, cleanup, or any other popular Earth Day event, be sure to post what you’re doing to tag #EarthDay and/or #InvestInOurPlanet to spread awareness around the environmental movement and possibly be featured on EARTHDAY.ORG’s social channels.

For more information on how to do Earth Day, be sure to check out the Earth Day 2023 Toolkit and checking out EARTHDAY.ORG’s website: https://www.earthday.org/

Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

• Today, Earth Day is the largest secular holiday in the world, with more than 500 million people taking part in 174 countries around the world.

• Google has celebrated Earth day with animated doodles on its home page since 2001.