It’s Earth Day—We Gotta Fix Climate Change!
Americans have been honoring Earth Day with acts of environmental stewardship for more than 50 years! The original idea came from a junior senator in Wisconsin. Earth Day soon gained support from a bipartisan group of lawmakers, students, and activists. It gained traction, went global, and now more than a billion people observe Earth Day each year.
It’s no surprise that Earth Day began as an American tradition: environmentalism is a value that many Americans share! That’s one thing we’ve learned from talking to so many women. No matter which state they live in or how they feel about politics, most of the women we talk to say they care about protecting the environment.
The folks we talk to also taught us that environmentalism can look very different to different people. For some, saving the planet is part of protecting creation or honoring their religious values. For others, it is a critical part of defending America and Americans against natural disasters. For others still, environmentalism means preserving the bounty of nature for future generations.
Earth Day is the perfect reason to plant trees, pick up litter, and have community work parties once a year, but sustained progress on climate is going to take more than our individual efforts. That’s why government action on climate change is a core component of an America that truly works better for all of us! We’ve developed some memes & messages that help remind everyone that we can use our civic power to protect our natural environment.
We came together despite our differences to form Earth Day in the era of Silent Spring because we were seeing the effects of unmitigated pollution. But then caring about the environment became polarizing and politically charged! Now we’ve found ourselves in a similar place as we witness natural disasters, train derailments, shrinking fisheries, and “once-in-a-lifetime” weather events every year. Americans have done it before and we can do it again if we align our individual actions, community efforts, and civic power in support of sustained action on climate change.
If you’re doing something cool for Earth Day, we’d love to hear from you. DM us on Instagram @galvanize_usa!
