In Ann Arbor, the Earth Day celebrations for 2020 will take place even though many live events have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Locally, the Ann Arbor Sustainability Office is taking the celebration online with the A2Zero 2020 Virtual Earth Day Celebration. Nationally, the Sunrise Movement and Youth Climate Strike are taking their events online with the Earth Day Live 2020, a 3-day live-stream.
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| Figure 1: Earth shot from nasa.govnasa.gov |
History of Earth Day
I grew up
in Western Pennsylvania in the 60’s and 70’s. Water
pollution was so bad the local news used to report on whether or not Lake Erie
was on fire, again, because people kept dumping flammable oil and tires in the water. Near the steel mills in Pittsburgh, air pollution was so bad that, no matter
how often people cleaned, everything was coated in a sticky black dust that got
into your pores and lungs.
The first national
Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970 and about 20 million people in the U.S.
participated (more here). It was held as an environmental
teach-in because of the air and water pollution and unsafe working environments
arising from unregulated industrial development. Senator Nelson from Wisconsin had the idea
for Earth Day and enlisted Representative Pete McCloskey and activist Denis Hayes to
help plan the event. According to the
EarthDay.org website, 10% of Americans including both Democrats and Republicans,
demonstrated in 1970 at the first Earth Day. A photograph
from the New York Times of huge crowds in New York City on Earth Day in 1970 is here.
What is the tie between the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Earth Day? According to heritage.umich.edu, U. of M. held the first environmental
teach-in one month prior to the first Earth Day and 15,000 people attended the event. The national Earth Day was modeled on the U. of M. event and Ann Arbor, where U. of M. is located, and Ann Arbor have therefore always had a strong connection with Earth Day.
What was the first impact of the first Earth Day? It was huge and included the establishment of the Environmental
Protection Act in 1970, and the passage of the Occupational Safety Health Act in 1970, the Clean Air Act in 1970, and the Clean Water Act in 1972, according to earthday.org.
A2Zero Virtual Earth Day Celebration
For the 2020 Virtual Earth Day Celebration, the Ann Arbor City Hall Sustainability Office is live-streaming
the events for the day! You can click on this link to register for the virtual
event. Once you register, you can access
the activities online any time. Also, if you’re
interested, you can go to this page
to complete a pledge online for activities you
will undertake for Earth Day.
The
schedule of events is available here and events take place from 9 AM-8
PM. It will be kicked off by Mayor
Christopher Taylor, who will give an address on sustainability in Ann Arbor and
the history of Earth Day.
Another
highlight is a youth panel on “What Gives You Hope On Earth Day,” led by U.M.
student Kristen Hayden and including W.C.C. student Zaynab Elkolaly at 2:30 PM.
If you’re
looking for educational events, you can learn about Ann Arbor-specific
programs, carbon neutrality, rooftop solar, wind energy, integrated pest
management and more. Finally, there’s
entertainment, too, including a couple of sessions of music, sustainability trivia,
Earth Day BINGO, the movie "The Story of Plastic" and the reading of
a children’s story, Mama Miti.
Get the Youth Out (-of-Doors, That Is)
The Ann
Arbor A2Zero site also lists 10 kid-friendly Earth Day activities suitable for kids
that will keep them engaged but safe during the pandemic. (Go here and scroll
to the bottom of the page.)
Activities
include: going on a nature scavenger hunt, building a “seed blaster” (you’ll
have to read the description to find out what it is!), using a toilet paper
tube to make a colorful wind sock, starting a meditation journal, and “Nature
Lesson” videos from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A number of
these ideas are especially good at getting the kids out of the house, so they
can have fun, education, and exercise on Earth Day!
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| Figure 2. The Great Lakes from nasa.gov |
Earth Day Live, April 22-24 Live-stream
The Earth
Day Live 2020 events are put on by the Youth Climate Strike and Sunrise movements.
These events are youth-led and represent a growing concern about climate change and the environment, especially among our
youth and teens.
The
schedule of events for the 3-day live-stream is here, (scroll to find the
events) The events include speeches,
presentations, live music, meditations and calls to action. The first day, April 22, will “focus
on amplifying the voice of indigenous leaders and youth climate activists who
are leading the movement to halt the climate crisis,” according to the website.
Additionally, there are 24 hours of action you can engage
with, which you can find here.
Activities include sharing your air quality with a photo, cleaning up litter (solo), making a plant-based meal, contacting your representative and many more.
There Is No Planet B
Earth Day
celebrations and events are taking place starting tomorrow, April 22 – April 24, 2020,
because the Earth has limited resources for human needs, and, as the T-shirts
say, there is no Planet B. Won’t you join in the celebration of the Earth, starting tomorrow and the work
that must be done to sustain it, starting today?
This blogpost was written for the benefit of students at
Washtenaw Community College and the community as part of my sabbatical
activities for winter 2020. I am solely responsible for the content
and hold the copyright for the work. Feel free to use the information in
this blog; just credit me with a link back to my blog! -Emily Thompson, Ph.D.
