Are you looking to get involved this Earth Day? Earth Day celebrates the birth of the environmental movement in the United States. Learn more about Earth Day and ways you can get involved this month!
Why does Earth Day matter?
While there is still work to be done, much progress has been made since the first Earth Day was organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson and activist Denis Hayes on April 22, 1970—and more progress is in the works.
Just one year after the first Earth Day, 25% of Americans believed it to be important to protect the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency was also established in 1970, shortly following the first Earth Day marches. In the years that followed the first Earth Day, many national environmental policies were passed including:
Earth Day has been about global awareness and movement building, and April 22 is a reminder each year to take on the movement.
If you spend time thinking about our planet’s future, you’re not alone. This Earth Day, consider joining the Sustainable Buffs Community with your fellow Buffs. Everyone in the CU Boulder community is encouraged to join—students, graduate students, staff, faculty and other campus community members.
Attend the Campus Sustainability Summit
The Campus Sustainability Summit on April 21 is a great opportunity to learn about sustainability on campus, including what students and administrators are doing to innovate sustainable solutions to climate change. Students can attend presentations from the summit competitors to see what students and faculty are currently working on to take action against climate change. There will be a wide range of voices and perspectives. The keynote speaker will be Parker McMullen Bushman, and she will share what it means to have inclusive climate action and how we can develop solutions to tackle climate change with an equity mindset.
Make resolutions
Many students may feel the heaviness of our current environmental challenges. It may be helpful to think of Earth Day as a time to make sustainable resolutions, much like you might make a lifestyle resolution every new year. Committing to a few sustainable lifestyle changes this Earth Day can have a massive impact, even though the actions may feel small. Here are some examples of Earth Day resolutions:
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Go digital! Unsubscribe to catalogs and magazines. Switch all your bills to paperless.
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Try a foodprints calculator to see how your meals impact the planet.
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Start a compost bin at home or take your on-campus compostables to one of the many compost stations on campus.
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Stop using plastic straws and other single-use plastics.
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Try going meatless at least one day per week.
Consider making resolutions with friends or family so you can hold each other accountable.
Volunteer
If you want to help out with a clean-up or create a greater impact on campus, consider volunteering with CU’s Volunteer Resource Center or joining the Environmental Board (Eboard) run through the Environmental Center. Eboard is constantly working to improve our campus and make it more sustainable for all CU students, faculty and staff to enjoy. Don't know where to start? Email SarahDawn Haynes at earthelp@colorado.edu and share your interests and availability so she can help you get involved on or off campus.
Stay informed and spread the word
Find others to make a change on a local level through the Environmental Center, Green Greeks, Recycling Operations Center, Sustainable Buffs and other clubs or groups on campus involved in sustainability. Stay informed on current organizations and issues:
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Join an international movement through online communities like TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.
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Browse Netflix and other streaming services for documentaries to stay informed, and learn more about sustainability solutions through Project Drawdown.
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Try listening to podcasts or audiobooks that focus on the current state of climate change and what you can do to help.
Find out more about living a sustainable lifestyle and get involved at the Environmental Center’s website.