only months after that first teach-in the united states environmental protection agency was created and the clean air, clean water, and endangered species acts had been passed. 

now 50 years later, we cannot take to the streets on earth day due to the coronavirus pandemic. many environmental organizations had been planning huge events for the 50th anniversary of earth day, so in light of these trying times, they got creative.

these three organizations have made it easy for us to take action from the comforts of our home.

1. earth day network

earth day network is the organization that grew from the first earth day. they had been planning events for the 50th anniversary for over two years, but came up with creative solutions to adapt to our new reality. for the month of april leading up to the 22nd, the organization has created a series of daily challenges that people can participate in from their own homes. tracey ann ritchie, director of education at earth day network, explains this is the time to be reflective and think about our individual actions and what we can do to minimize our carbon footprint. ritchie says, “we want to get people informed, aware, and activated… we need to be taking action on climate change, and there’s things we can do about that individually, organizationally, communitywide, nationwide, and beyond.”

in addition to the daily challenges and to honor the 50th anniversary, on april 22 the earth day network will be hosting an event in partnership with the u.s. climate strike coalition, which will include several calls to action including information about how to advance climate action — the earth day network’s 2020 theme. this non-profit has also created environmental education curricula to provide students, teachers, and parents with tools they can use from home which can be found on their website. 

(editor’s note: planet forward has worked with earth day network and will be participating in their virtual celebration. details to come.)

2. roots & shoots usa

roots & shoots is the youth program of the jane goodall institute, created by jane goodall. based on goodall’s philosophy that every individual makes a difference, the program’s goal is to empower young people to create positive change in their communities. roots & shoots not only provides young people with resources, support, networking and training, but also gives educators the tools they need to empower the next generation of change-makers. roots & shoots members are in all 50 u.s. states and over 60 countries worldwide.

this year, roots & shoots is doing a virtual earth day challenge running from april 16-22, including daily actions from a carbon emissions quiz to learning about food waste to sharing tasty plant-based recipes. the challenge items are designed to be inclusive and available to all. ashley sullivan, communications and policy officer at the jane goodall institute, says about the challenges, “a lot of them are just focused on how you can be sustainable in your everyday actions even from home.” 

the grand finale of the challenge is the premiere of “jane goodall: the hope,” a documentary about goodall’s journey to activism, the positive influence she’s had on people around the world, and the creation of her non-profit organization the jane goodall institute. gather your family or host a virtual watch party for an earth day movie night! it will be shown at 9/8c on nat geo and nat geo wild channels, and available on disney+ beginning earth day. you can sign up for the challenge here!

3. u.s. climate strike coalition

the u.s. climate strike coalition, coordinated by the future coalition, is made up of both youth and adult environmental organizations across the country, which all work together to organize climate strikes from coast to coast. to celebrate the 50th anniversary of earth day, they are organizing an event called “earth day live.” beginning on april 22, the coalition will be hosting a three-consecutive-day livestream, which will include educational webinars, musical guests, celebrities such as joaquin phoenix, and more. 

katie eder, executive director of the future coalition, explains that it’s important to acknowledge how challenging this time is for everyone. the goal of earth day live, she says, is to “provide some hope and inspiration for how we’re able to change moving forward.”

each day of the livestream has its own theme, the first focusing on the youth led climate strike movement, the second on divestment and climate financing, and the third is about empowering voters and encouraging political engagement. eder explains the youth climate movement can bring “a vision for what the future can be if we can come together and use this time as the wake up call we need to take action on climate and to protect our future.” you can rsvp to the livestream here.

tune in 

there is no lack of fun activities leading up to the 50th earth day, so consider tuning in to one or more of these organizations events. in 2020, we face uncertainty as important environmental legislation passed shortly after the first earth day is being weakened. let us be inspired by the success of the first earth day, and continue the momentum of the environmental movement to protect and strengthen environmental regulations moving forward.

1. shopping at zero-waste stores. check out this zero-waste grocery shopping guide as a place to start.

2. bringing your reusables. it’s all about making it a habit. bring your own bags to the grocery store, bring your own cups to coffee shops, and always keep your reusable utensils and straws on you.

3. buying sustainable alternatives to your everyday products. shampoo and conditioner bars and bamboo toothbrushes are just a few items that you can purchase to make your everyday activities more sustainable.

for an extended list of what you can do, check out the reduce single-use at eckerd college’s website’s “how to help” section.

sources for the video:
the ocean conservancy

united nations environment

this initiative was influenced by eckerd’s reduce single use team, a project funded by a two-year grant from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration (noaa) marine debris program, working alongside the post-landfill action network (plan) and the public interest research group’s (pirg) plastics campaign.

the pledge, originally outlined by plan and modified to suit eckerd, will prohibit the use of the college budget to purchase unnecessary single-use plastic items such as beverage bottles, plates, utensils, balloons, plastic shipping and packaging materials, and much more.

president eastman hopes this agreement will inspire other colleges to join eckerd in taking a stand against single-use plastics. 

“it’s a statement by the college to say this is important, and we’re going to do everything we can, now, to eliminate the use of plastics,” eastman said.

plastic pollution poses a large threat to marine ecosystems and wildlife because plastics do not biodegrade. instead, they disintegrate over time into little pieces of plastic known as microplastics, which causes great harm to the marine ecosystem. wildlife also unknowingly ingest these microplastics and the plastic continues up the food chain.

most plastic items never make it to a recycling facility to be properly reused, or are not recyclable to begin with.  

“the sad reality is that the way that the recycling is being done in the united states right now is incredibly ineffective,” said shannon gowans, ph.d., a professor of biology and marine science at eckerd. the most ideal solution is to stop the plastic production at its source.

the inspiration for this pledge came in spring 2019 when alex gordon, pirg plastics campaign coordinator at eckerd, and will shedden, pirg new voters project coordinator, found plan’s break free from plastic pledge and brought this to the attention of the reduce single use team.

“it has been a team effort all across the board… now is the time that we needed something big, and i think this pledge was it,” said senior trish schranck, one of the two interns working on the reduce single use project at eckerd.

items considered essential single-use plastic, such as those used for scientific research and health and safety needs, will still be allowed.

this ban will officially be enacted beginning jan. 1, 2020.

pielet was the first speaker of the day.

“my entire life has been plagued by the words ‘now is the time to act’ but my generation cannot do this alone,” she said to the crowd, and they cheered in response.

inspired by greta thunberg, the 16-year-old climate activist from sweden famous for starting fridays for future, young people around the world organized local climate strikes. in this worldwide call for climate action, the city of st. petersburg joined in on a momentous day.

pielet was originally drawn to the issue of climate change through her love of animals and the environment. as a child in illinois, she would regularly ask to visit the zoo, aquarium, or go to a park so she could spend time outside and observing animals.

although far from home, she was drawn to the mystery of the oceans in particular, which is why eckerd’s campus was an appealing option for college. the liberal arts school sits on florida’s gulf coast, and on any given day you can see dolphins from the campus’s beach, making it a popular place for marine science and environmental studies students. today pielet stands as the president of eckerd college’s “scubi jews” club, a scuba diving club facilitated by eckerd college’s campus rabbi. as the leader of scubi jews, pielet organizes events such as waterfront clean-ups and dive for debris, where dive-certified students can help clean up the trash found at the ocean floor.

now, looking into the crowd of faces at the climate strike, pielet continued: “we have everything to gain from climate action and everything to lose from inaction.”

the responding enthusiasm from the crowd was infectious. that support likely comes from witnessing climate change, firsthand.

florida faces serious impacts of a changing climate — some of which have already been felt by the intensified hurricanes and sea-level rise. both will continue to worsen if nothing is changed. 

tourism is a large part of florida’s economy, thanks to its beautiful beaches and other recreational opportunities, seafood, and amusement parks. impacts of the climate crisis are an immediate threat to florida’s economy, which is why, pielet said, we need to talk about the money. 

“there will be so many jobs if we start trying to build more green infrastructure, and renewable energy,” she assured. 

the biggest roadblock? political will, pielet said.

one of the struggles in making progress is that many have a different idea of how to go about addressing this issue, or not addressing it at all.

“i don’t think it’s about trying to convince people that (climate change) is real or not,” pielet said, “but it’s more so just voting them out… and voting in people who are serious about it.”

with the 2020 presidential election coming soon, addressing the issue of climate change is more urgent than ever. many who are concerned about the environment are looking for candidates with a climate plan.

the city of st. petersburg proves that important action can be taken at the local level, too. in april 2019, st. petersburg adopted an integrated sustainability action plan, which outlines a blueprint for the city to be fossil fuel-free with a thriving economy by 2035. the plan includes implementing more public transportation and bike routes. 

as i sat speaking to pielet in the park while her dog zoomed around us, i noticed the determination in her voice and the purpose in her tone.

“finally, the pressure is on,” she said.

there are many factors that make switching to a green economy complex, she explained, but it is doable — and our future depends on it. 

after seeing the turnout at the st. petersburg climate strike, where 1,200 people gathered on sept. 20 to demand action, pielet said, “this is the most hope i’ve ever had… this could truly be a turning point.”

we have the groundwork laid out, and now it’s just a matter of acting on it.

rebecca, a college student from washington, d.c., started eating a plant-based diet a couple of months ago. she explains, “the transition to being vegan was relatively easy for me… but… i am lucky and not everyone may be able to afford to eat a plant-based or healthier diet.”  

unfortunately, many people in the united states live in food deserts, or places where there is no access to affordable, healthy food. this gap of opportunity makes it harder for those in low-income communities to purchase fresh produce.

according to the food empowerment project, “…many food deserts contain an overabundance of fast food chains selling cheap ‘meat’ and dairy-based foods that are high in fat, sugar, and salt.” food deserts also have no easily accessible supermarkets, and a staggering 2.3 million people live over a mile away from a supermarket, while not having access to a car.

fast food may be cheap in price, but is expensive in what economists call an “external cost,” or the costs imposed on the environment and people in the making of that product, such as the amount of water it took to grow the food, or the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to transport it — not to mention the expense of potential health impacts.

the foods that are most expensive in those costs are cheapest in price due in part to government subsidies. most of the subsidies for agriculture go to the largest, wealthiest companies which produce staple products such as corn — nearly half of which is fed to livestock in the united states, according to the u.s. department of agriculture. the goal of subsidies is to provide a program that lowers the price for the consumer, but it may be making the wrong foods cheaper.

when talking about her experience so far with a plant-based diet, rebecca also notes, “replacements for animal products normally cost more than the original product, and it isn’t always easy to find good vegan options at fast food restaurants…”

without trying to replace animal products with fake meats and fake cheeses, buying the ingredients that would make up a whole foods diet can be a more affordable way to eat plant-based. however, this does not solve the problem for those who still have no access to supermarkets, and no time to prepare meals. this inconvenience, paired with the fact that it is simply not economical for those in food deserts, makes it difficult or impossible for some to maintain a healthy and sustainable diet.

residents in some communities have started gardens, providing a healthier alternative to fast foods for their local community. this is a great start, but government subsidies could be used to make nutritious foods cheaper, and therefore provide an opportunity for people to buy more plant-based products. as rebecca points out, not everyone has the same ability to maintain a consistent healthy diet. although eating more plant-based is sustainable, until it becomes more affordable and accessible, many people will not have that luxury.