Actions To Take During Earth Day
Written by: Jacqueline Omdara, Research by: Sophie Campbell
Earth Day takes place on Friday April 22, 2022. Earth Day commemorates the birth of the ‘modern environmental movement’ that occurred in 1970. A great contributor of the modern environmental movement was the large use of leaded gas in automobiles and the overall production of air pollution as air pollution was widely accepted as ‘prosperity’ back then.
Around the time of the massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969, the idea for the first Earth Day originated through the junior senator of Wisconsin, Senator Gaylord Nelson, and Republican Congressman, Pete McCloskey, who had like-minded passions and concerns about the environment. Alongside each other, they recruited college students to organize teach-ins on campus that would be held on April 22. They chose this date as it is between Spring Break and Final Exams which gave the opportunity for more students to join.
In 1990, Earth Day was recognized around the world with the help of a group of environmental leaders. They joined 200 million people in 141 countries to voice environmental issues on a global scale.
Now the fight for our climate crisis is more urgent than ever as the consequences of climate change become more apparent each day. It is encouraged to take part in Earth Day events in your local community! Below are some actions you can take into account in your daily life!
Waste
- Clean up litter in local parks
- Recycle & compost
Electronics
- Unplug electronics/appliances (kettles, toasters, laptops) when not using them
- Unsubscribe from emails you do not read, delete old emails
Heating
- Lower heat in winter, increase temperature in summer
- Open blinds during winter daylight, close blinds during summer daylight for natural heating and cooling
Food
- Buy dried groceries in bulk
- Reduce your food waste (stay tuned for Stop Food Waste Day on our social media platforms @uwcampuscompost!)
- Reduce your meat consumption, start with one meat-free day a week
Consumption
- Research companies before purchasing from them — buy intentionally
- Choose plastic-free options when possible
- Avoid individually-packaged items when possible
- Buy second-hand to save money and give items a second-life
- Use reusable shopping bags
- Travel
- Choose transit or walking/cycling over driving for manageable distances
- Vacation close to home to reduce air travel
Other
- Participate in petitions to local, provincial, and federal governments to take meaningful action towards addressing climate change (groups often write letters that you can simply sign or personalize as you choose)
- Talk about your actions!
