The short answer is no. We’re not. Many of us are old enough to remember the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970 but many were not yet born or only remember doing simple things like trash pickups or arts and crafts to mark the one day a year. Many are not aware of its history and the significant changes it brought about.
“On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment.” –earthday.org
Despite the fact that the first Earth Day resulted in the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, celebrating the Earth one day a year is not enough and never has been. To have a real impact, we as individuals need to make permanent lifestyle changes every single day of the year to live more sustainably. And to have a real impact, we need to start making those changes now.
Climate Change, Deforestation, Water Quality and Scarcity, Waste Disposal, Pollution, and on and on and on. The environmental challenges we’re facing now can be overwhelming. It’s very tempting to believe there is nothing we can do about it as individuals. But we must. If enough of us commit to living more sustainably, we can and will make a difference. We must.
Today marks 50 days until the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. We here at ACLT we love doing experiments and taking on challenges. In fact, one of the strategies of ACLT’s 5-Year Plan (2019-2023) is to “lead by example in environmental stewardship whenever possible.”
So let’s try this … every day for the next 50 days, check out our daily posts about how you can live a more sustainable lifestyle and start making those small changes. When we finally get to Earth Day on April 22nd, let’s see how many of us have made substantial changes in the way we think, shop, eat, and live.
Join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to see our daily posts. You don’t use social media? Not a problem … our website now shows our live Facebook stream so that no one has to miss a thing!
ACLT’s Earth Day Events:
April 19th – Earth Day 5K Trail Run/Hike
April 25th – Earth Day-Themed Guided Family Hike & Bring-Your-Own-Picnic
April 26th – Earth Day Cleanup – More Details to be announced soon!
