April 22, 2021, marked the 51st anniversary of World Earth Day.
The climate emergency is getting more and more serious and therefore Earth Day 2021 takes on a fundamental meaning, more and more important every year.
Established in 1970, the United Nations annually celebrates this anniversary, one month and one day after the spring equinox.
In fact, Earth Day was born from the 1962 publication of the book, an environmentalist manifesto, “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson.
Later, in 1969, at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth.
On April 22, 1970, then, 20 million American citizens, responding to the call of Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson, mobilized in a historic demonstration in defense of our planet.
Since that day, ecologists have used this day as an opportunity to assess the problems of the planet.
Among them: air, water, and soil pollution, the destruction of ecosystems, the thousands of plants and animal species that are disappearing, and the depletion of non-renewable resources.
More than 1 billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day activities every year, making it the largest event in the world.
The goal of these people, and each of us, is to restore our Earth because it is the place we live and need.
We all need a healthy Earth to preserve our health, our survival, and most importantly our happiness.
A healthy planet is not an option, but a necessity.
Restore Our Earth
The theme for Earth Day 2021 is “Restore Our Earth” and focuses not only on the need to reduce our environmental impact, even in the wake of the effects of Covid-19, but also on what we can do to undo the damage we have caused.
Thousands of events have been held around the world, both digitally and in-person, in compliance with anti-Covid19 containment measures.
Events in Italy
Due to the advent of the pandemic, a lot of focus was placed on online events this year.
Among all, on the occasion of Earth Day 2021, the second edition of #OnePeopleOnePlanet – the multimedia marathon – was held in Italy.
With a schedule of 13 hours of live streaming on RaiPlay, the transmission starts at 7:30 am on April 22 and continues uninterruptedly until 8:30 pm.
The protagonists of this edition are young people and students who converge on a single goal: to save the planet.
Artists, singers, actors, scientists, journalists, institutional representatives, and ordinary people will take live turns with insights, testimonies, artistic and cultural performances to launch a message of hope and love for the planet.
In Verona instead, Biosphaera has preferred to invite children aged 4 to 11 years on the hills of Veneto.
Here they meet to play and talk about the relationship between animals and humans and how we can protect our Planet.
“Giving Value to Water” is another Earth Day Italy digital Talk that will take place on Monday, March 22 from 5 pm.
The debate will frame the water issue from different angles, from water wars to space research, from water infrastructure to technologies.
Earth Day in America
Original and, above all, constructive initiatives are those presented by America: from the United States to Argentina, the goal is only to protect the environment.
In New York, Eastern Queens Alliance invites volunteers to plant trees, clean up debris and safely remove invasive plants to restore the forest and create a healthier ecosystem.
Similar initiatives are being organized across North America.
In fact, the same is happening in Philadelphia, where students and staff will clean up their schools and plant flowers, as well as educate pupils about pollution.
In Bogota, Colombia, the association olipoli.com will promote books for children from 1 to 10 years old that talk about the earth, the climate, and environmental challenges, with part of the proceeds going to earthday.org.
Also in favor of the environment, the state of São Paulo in Brazil has promoted a project to encourage food security.
The goal is to prepare baskets with products from small rural producers and donate them to vulnerable populations, ensuring their nutritional variety.
What happens in Asia?
All the countries in Asia have also committed to celebrating Earth Day 2021 in the best possible way. India boasts the largest number of events organized on Asian territory.
In New Delhi, there are numerous talks organized by universities and associations to deal with no longer negligible topics: how to dispose of electronic waste, preserve water, and develop sustainable e-commerce.
In Calcutta, for the most creative, an art competition has been set up on the theme of “green and clean energy”.
Even in the largest Asian countries, young people are the real protagonists, as is the case in Thailand.
In Bangkok, school students dress up in green and blue, the colors of sustainability, and various green activities are organized.
For example, a sale of sustainable clothing, screenings of films on the environment, and a fundraiser to plant 500 trees locally to offset their carbon footprint.
To stay up to date on every single event in all places on the planet, just view the interactive map on the official website of Earth Day 2021.
In addition, each of us can create a sustainable event, in favor of the Earth, and register it, so that anyone can learn about it.
