International Earth Month (April) and Earth day (April 22nd) mark the start of Spring as a time to raise environmental awareness and create consciousness around mother nature. April becomes a precious moment of international unity dedicated to creating discussions and action capable of resolving the problems of climate change or more specifically ecological solutions to counter the rising temperature that is damaging our planet of residence. It is up to each individual in our community to take a stand against industry and government alike in their reluctancy to affect change to preserve their perfect economic model.
History of Earth Month
The Earth Month initiative started in the late 60s as a movement to resist the abusive and negligent consumption of leaded gas by Americans led by ideas of Gaylord Nelson aka the “Conservation Governor”, a U.S. Governor and member of the senate. Nelson raised awareness on the effects of pollution on living organisms using teach-ins (derived from propaganda strategies) called National Teach-in on the Environment. These teach-ins demanded a change in the mass demands of the automobile industry and other polluting industries as being the primary cause of air pollution.
In January 1969 an Oil Spill in Santa Barbara, California caused major environmental destruction which devastated animal and human habitats. The event’s consequences prompted a group of activists who dedicated themselves to finding ways of engaging Americans to be proactive in their actions. Their initiative named Earth Day was to bring environmental awareness to the media and was celebrated for the first time on April 4th 1970. The event was so well received that it transcended to become the first Earth Month; marking the start of the organization’s environmental agenda.
By 1990 Earth month became the global event that we know today with more than 200 million participants from 141 countries around the world who have shown involvement in the cause. Moreover, In 1992, the United Nations became actively involved in Earth month which legitimized the event as an important movement towards change giving it more visibility worldwide.
We tend to focus on negative statistics concerning environmental evolution, which can become stressful. However, a lot has improved since the first official Earth Day in the 70s. Various lobbying groups promoting the importance of incorporating environmental regulations into law have pushed governments to make real change., some of our favourites:
Countries with endangered fauna and wildlife such as Kenya and Costa Rica, are creating nature preserves to promote reforestation and to protect almost extinct species.
Electric car regulations and laws are being adopted in European and American countries reducing our dependancy on oil by 2035.
The Ozone hole created by carbon dioxide pollution is starting to slowly heal. In 2018, NASA observed that international efforts to reduce carbon footprint has helped the Ozone’s recovery.
Renewable energy is also taken more seriously as an alternative to crude oil; in 2017, Solar and wind energy has supplied 6% of the world's electricity and it still grows at an annual rate. (source)
What can you do?
Look within yourself to know what you can give back to the planet. Inform yourself on how you can change your lifestyle to incorporate action that would give back to the earth starting this month:
Plant a tree or take care of a plant; It is a minuscule act that you can do to help reduce your individual carbon footprint.
Save energy by using public transport or, reducing your electricity use; start by using fewer lights and reducing the heat consumption throughout your house. The start of spring also allows us to dry our clothes outside instead of putting them in an energy-consuming dryer machine. You can learn ways to wash less so that your clothes last longer, we have an article dedicated to this subject: Keeping Your Clothes Forever.
Reduce your fashion consumption and inform yourself on the sustainability of the items you purchase. Try and learn how to repair your items yourself instead of tossing them out to be put in landfills. BEDI Studios holds more information on this in our Repair Economy Article.
You can also celebrate Earth Month and Earth Day with your peers by organizing a clothing swap event which helps your community to make a difference in their shopping habits. BEDI’s article on Clothes Swapping offers information on the subject.
Showing love to the earth's environment is showing love to oneself. In our everyday tasks we often forget that it is a blessing to be living and breathing on our planet. Use this month to take a step back from your routine and appreciate the nature all around you, Happy Earth Day !
If you have any questions or advice on how to celebrate Earth Month, we always love to hear from our community at contact@bedistudios.com.