Earth Month and Earth Day passed by at 250 km/h, or with the speed of global warming. Earth Day reminds us that we must take care of our planet and its natural resources, not just for us but for future generations.
The courage to change
The celebration of Earth Day is important because it raises awareness about the impact that our – human activity has on the environment and encourages people to take action to protect the only planet we have – our planet Earth. Unfortunately, many people only think about the planet and our impact on it only on Earth Day because it’s a “special day set aside” for the environment, and it’s more convenient that way. However, it’s important to recognize that our actions impact the planet every day, and we need to make sustainable and conscious choices and decisions year-round.
Why 365 Earth Days?
Because natural resources are finite and essential to our survival, and at the moment, we are pursuing an infinite lifestyle on a finite planet. Without natural resources such as clean water, clean air, and fertile soil, we cannot sustain life. Additionally, the overuse and exploitation of natural resources can have negative consequences such as pollution, deforestation, and climate change.
We should care about the consequences of our daily impact on the planet, not just on Earth Day, but 365 days a year. All the buzzwords we hear or read daily in the news, such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and global warming, have significant, far-reaching impacts on our lives, health, well-being, and future generations. Can you see the devil’s circle in it? Human activity has a negative impact on the planet; simultaneously, the planet is exhausted and has a negative impact on us. Isn’t it ironic?
What’s about this irony?
Let’s consider biodiversity loss and how it already affects us. Biodiversity loss refers to the decline in the variety and abundance of species and ecosystems. The decline has negative consequences for our well-being, including our food security, access to clean water, and the quality of the air we breathe. Biodiversity loss also affects our economies, as it can reduce the availability of resources we depend on, such as wood and fish.
Where is the connection between climate change and global warming in our personal lives? Climate change and global warming refer to the increase in the Earth’s temperature caused by the buildup of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, primarily from activities like burning fossil fuels. That’s the stuff that goes into our cars, produces energy in our homes or factories where our clothes are made, and powers close to our industries.
Climate change has serious consequences on our lives, such as more frequent and severe weather events, rising sea levels, and food and water insecurity in too many places on Earth. These changes have negative impacts on our health, economies, and ecosystems.
365 Earth Days – How can we make this happen?
Of course, not everything is bad; there are so many things we can still do to consider the planet in our daily decisions without overthinking it. It’s not rocket science; it’s something much more familiar; Earth science!
– We can reduce our energy consumption by turning off lights and electronics when not in use and using energy-efficient appliances. Remember those fossil fuel beasts mentioned before? Yeah, it’s about them. We don’t need them in our homes anymore!
– We can use public transportation, biking, or walking whenever possible, instead of driving alone in a car. Of course, in the beginning, you will miss your singing-along-like-nobody-can-hear-you-moments, but you will get used to it!
– We can support sustainable products and companies that prioritize environmental protection. They need you, your money, and your voice much more than H&M does.
If we don’t take action individually and collectively to address these issues, they will continue to worsen and become more difficult to mitigate over time. By caring about our planet and taking action to protect it, we can ensure a better tomorrow for ourselves and a better future for future generations.
Taking action today
There are a bunch of things you can do as a group, with your family, friends, or even your co-workers, to tackle a small change, to start a discussion around this topic, or simply just to spend some time together but by doing something meaningful, and one of my all-time favorites is a good old Clean-Up! It doesn’t matter if you want to partner up with an environmental protection organization or a recycling company or to organize a cleanup by yourself; all you need is a pair of gloves, a few trash bags to recycle properly, maybe a garbage tong, 2 hours of time and a good mood!
Clean-Ups like this boost our mental health because we spend time outside, it nurtures our relationship with nature and the people we spend our time with, and it helps our environment to heal as we free it from plastic and other trash. Seeing the result is very rewarding; we know because we did exactly as we preach! Both in our Brisbane and Vienna offices, we organized an Earth Day Clean Up with our teams and took action, literally, in our own hands! Will you join us?
And okay, let’s leave April 22 as ‘Earth Day’ but make it more than that, as a Re-Birthday celebration of our beloved planet and not just as a reminder that we need to start caring more about her.
You want more? Check out this article on how to take the first steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
