Take action for the planet!
On April 22nd we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day 1970 is considered the event from which the modern environmental movement was born. It led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passing of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act (as well as “Ann Arbor’s own” Ecology Center!). As such, many events, festivals and advocacy were planned around Earth Day this year. Much of it focused on climate change, the environmental challenge of our time.
Right now, we are all mobilized around an immediate need, responding to a global pandemic that requires we stay home and distance from each other. Earth Day 2020 will have to look a little different. I want to offer a couple of ways you can honor Earth Day safely.
Participate in our 50 for 50 Earth Day Challenge. Head out on your own or with members of your household and find a space to do a cleanup. Pick up 50 pieces of trash that would otherwise make it to the river, pollute the soil and make a mess of our natural places. There is also a plastics pledge you can make to reduce plastic waste. And don’t forget to share your activity on social media #hrwc, #50/50 and #TrashTag.
OR become a new or sustaining member of HRWC. Membership dollars allow us to tackle challenges as they arise and provide stable funding during challenging economic times like we are in now. While supplies last, you will receive a free GuppyFriend bag to catch microplastics in the laundry, keeping this pollutant from the Huron River.
As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, I hope you are able to find a way to celebrate and honor what nature does for our mind, body and spirit.