Celebrating Earth Day happens yearly on April 22nd. Each year a theme is chosen; for 2022, the theme is Invest in Our Planet. While this day shines a light on the importance of doing our part to make positive impacts, you shouldn’t limit your activities to one day a year. If you’re like us, we want to do all that we can to educate ourselves and take action to preserve the precious resources we are fortunate enough to enjoy.
Earth Day Facts
Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 as a way to demonstrate against the negative health impacts of industrial development. It brought groups together who had previously been fighting individually to improve the various impacts humans have on our planet such as loss of wilderness areas and oil spills. It ultimately led to the creation of the EPA. The date was chosen in order to capitalize on the student population of activists – the date was between spring break and finals. Today, more than a billion people around the world take part in activities to improve the health of our planet, such as planting trees or picking up trash.
Why We Care – And Why You Should Too
A healthy, clean environment is vital to all life on the Earth. The more we care, the better off every living thing is – including you. It’s not like we can hop in our car and drive someplace else if we as humans damage the Earth completely. We all have a stake in taking care of this planet we call home.
There are many areas of focus – preventing deforestation, climate change, pollution, and energy conservation are just a few. Given the area of the country we live in and explore most (the West), lack of water is a topic many are talking and worrying about as we head into summer. Did you know the Colorado River, which more than 36 million people rely on, has levels which continue to drop due to drought and overuse. It already impacts water usage in many areas in the West and the need to conserve is critical to preserving this natural resource.
What You Can Do
Protecting the areas we are fortunate enough to adventure and explore in are so important to many, including us.
Some things you can do on a regular basis to protect the planet include educating yourself and others about the importance of protecting our natural resources. You can volunteer to clean up areas you frequent including trails and camp spots. I did this with an awesome group of women brought together by @AlpineSisters at the end March. It was tough, fun, and rewarding to put in a few hours of work to make small improvements to trails many of us enjoy using.
Other – very simple things you can do include using glass bottles for water vs. plastic, signing up to plant trees in various areas around where you live, turn off the lights when you’re not in a room to conserve energy, eat a little less meat each week, pick up trash you encounter when you’re out and about, and use reusable bags when shopping.
You may be Familiar with the Leave No Trace Principles – practice them! These include packing out what you pack in, camping on durable surfaces, respecting wildlife, minimizing the impacts of campfires, and leaving what you find. Visit www.lnt.org to learn more. You can also read one of our blogs discussing how long it takes for various items to actually decompose….you’d be surprised! https://idahovantasticvoyages.com/confessions-of-a-former-litter-bug/
We all can do our part to make this world a better, healthier place that can be enjoyed for generations to come. What will you do? Share with us in the comments or let us know if you’d like to volunteer with us as we participate in campsite cleanups!
