Earth Day is a National Day of Observance that has been celebrated every April 22nd since 1970. The day marks the anniversary of a movement that promoted environmental awareness in America. It has since become a global movement for climate change, regenerative agriculture, reforestation, global species decline and much more.
Other popular seasonal events Americans love to celebrate like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Halloween are historically known as money making holidays. In 2021, Americans spent a record breaking 10 billion dollars on Halloween. In 2022, 24 billion dollars was spent in preparation for Valentine’s Day. And while only 9.2% of the population in America claim to have Irish ancestry, the average American still spent $42.33 on St. Patrick’s Day in 2022. Earth Day has no statistics on the average dollar spent to celebrate the occasion though some argue it may cost trillions of dollars to save our planet, which puts our spending into perspective. There are no costumes you need to wear, or specialty feasts you need to spend hours cooking. Which makes this day one of the easiest, and cost effective, seasonal events to celebrate.
Earth Day is not a day the masses are drawn to celebrate. It does not have a mascot, or any religious symbolism. It has no special peanut butter cup shape or significant candy. (Although I really think Skittles is missing the gold pot at the end of the rainbow on this one.) It does not have a high marketing return on advertising dollars spent. And furniture outlets, department stores, and car dealerships do not advertise special days of savings every year on April 22nd. Yet it still stands as a day worth celebrating for many reasons outside of splurging.
The easiest way to celebrate Earth Day is to pick up trash. It is just that simple.
This celebration is 100% inclusive to all genders, races, ethnicities, and marital and economic status. You can live anywhere in the world and find trash to pick up. There’s literally a ton of plastic garbage for every person on Earth – The Washington Post. This is what makes Earth Day one of the best days to celebrate. It doesn’t cost a thing. This is the most inexpensive party you’ll ever throw. Gather your family and friends, go for a walk or to your favorite greenspace, town, or beach and have at it.
Picking up trash may be inconvenient. It might even be messy or gross but isn’t life full of inconvenience? Haven’t we become prepared for the worst since the start of the pandemic? We are practically walking inconveniences to each other and the earth. Human activity ceasing during the first months of the pandemic reduced air pollution, carbon emissions, and even noise pollution. We are literally an inconvenience to the earth. Luckily the pandemic also taught us to carry enough hand sanitizer to clean the Statue of Liberty so if your hands have to get dirty celebrating Earth Day, so be it.
How a Year of Pandemic Has Taught Us to Go Greener (shondaland.com)
You can even skip the cute Earth Day artwork made from recycled goods and teach the kids something more valuable. Heck, you don’t even have to have children to teach this lesson. You simply have to be human. Consider it a way of paying it forward. Similar to the benefits of wearing a smile. When people see you do it, they will want to do it too. Just like smiling, others may wonder at first, they may question why, they might tell a few jokes at your expense, nevertheless they will want it. A genuine smile is hard to get rid of. Just like a genuine care doesn’t fade away.
Go pick up that trash! Make the permanent change. Influence others around you to clean up our planet.
But why, you ask.
The benefits of teaching children and others you know to care for the earth will benefit us all in the long run. If you haven’t noticed our life expectancy is longer than it used to be. Just like you save for retirement, invest in cleaning up our planet so you can enjoy your retirements when it comes. In fact, this year’s Earth Day theme is INVEST IN OUR PLANET.
“This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods.
For Earth Day 2022, we need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet.”
Earth Day 2022 | Invest in Our Planet™
Think of it this way, if your favorite shirt gets stained, you work to remove the stain. If your granny falls down and scrapes her knee, you help her up and give her a band-aid. If you want to continue to enjoy the only planet you have to live on, you’ll do your part to keep it thriving.
Be an Earth Day Superhero and pick up some trash!
Celebrate Earth Day with these tips for helping our environment.
Earth Day (nationalgeographic.com)
Check out these more challenging ways to celebrate Earth Day: (click for resources)
- Understand climate change.
- Eliminate the use of single use plastic.
- Conserve water.
- Plant a flower or a tree.
- Start a vegetable garden.
- Save the bees.
- Reduce your carbon footprint.
- Buy used before you buy new.
- Visit. www.earthday.org
- Make Earth Day a Holiday Petition · Earth Day Should Be a National Holiday · Change.org
- Share this blog post 🙂
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