Earth Day, the largest environmental event on the planet, returns on Saturday, April 22: today it involves 193 countries and mobilizes more than one billion people worldwide every year. It is a day when people, communities, and institutions around the world organize concrete actions to care for our shared home.
What is World Earth Day?
World Earth Day was created to raise awareness of the need to act consistently to effectively protect the environment through environmental sustainability, safeguarding and caring for our planet, slowing climate change, the responsible use of resources, and the use of renewable energy. All of this helps raise awareness of everyone’s role in caring for the environment and nature.
Why is Earth Day celebrated on April 22?
On April 22, 1970, one year after the accident on an oil platform in Santa Barbara, California, which caused approximately ten million liters of oil to spill into the sea for 11 days (an event that deeply affected public opinion), 20 million Americans joined in a united appeal to save our planet.
Since then, Earth Day has been celebrated every April 22, a day to reflect on, promote, and share the state of health of the planet we live on. In 1990, Earth Day became global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and bringing environmental issues onto the world stage.
“Invest in our planet”
This year’s theme is Invest in our Planet, investing in our planet, continuing the 2022 campaign. The goal is to motivate governments, businesses, and citizens to invest in the planet and future generations.
We need to act immediately, and “governments must incentivize,” stimulate, and encourage citizens, “businesses, and institutions to create and innovate, promoting the public interest and creating the framework for a fair global economic system,” one that offers opportunities to everyone and is sustainable so as to restore the health of our planet. Thus, the two imperatives are: save humanity from the climate crisis and build green economies in every country so that everyone can benefit. This can be done only if we all invest in the future of our planet together.
Caring for our common home
Pope Francis has long told us, aptly and passionately, that we are called to exercise a shared responsibility in caring for the earth, our common home. His words in the encyclical letter Laudato si’ provide valuable help in bringing about a conversion, a change of heart and mind, encouraging us to take the first step and act, to live care for creation as a priority, by personally getting involved.
Indeed, we can all make a difference, starting with changing our lifestyle to reduce our environmental impact. It is increasingly necessary to take concrete action to combat climate change, paying conscious attention to what surrounds us, to ensure a future for our Earth and the generations to come.
Green change starts with us
All sectors of society can and must play an active and important role in the “green revolution.” But this green change begins with each of us. To live sustainably, we do not need to take extraordinary actions; we simply need to start with our everyday choices.
Here are some green habits for living more sustainably and making a difference:
• Sort waste for recycling.
• Recycle and repair broken things instead of replacing them.
• Avoid food waste.
• Eat seasonal foods, locally produced or zero-mile.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Never waste water.
• Make the places we visit (public gardens, beaches, parks, etc.) more beautiful and cleaner.
• Turn off devices in standby mode.
• Purify the air in your home with plants.
• Use eco-friendly detergents.
How many of these do you follow? Do you have other green habits to share?
We know there is still much to do, but we look to the future with hope and, together, let us take care of our planet, our common home.
