As spring blossoms to its fullest potential, nature lovers worldwide prepare to celebrate the annual Earth Day festivities on April 22 with enthusiasm and a dash of eco-friendly charm. It’s that magical time of year when we ditch the doom and gloom and celebrate our incredible planet for all its glory. A lot of people probably don’t recognize or think twice about Earth Day, but I am here to convince you that it is so much more than you think! It’s important to give our planet some love every once in a while; Earth Day is the perfect excuse to do so!
Before we get into ways to celebrate Earth Day, I thought I would provide a little bit of history revolving around the day. Earth Day was created in 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson, the junior senator from Wisconsin, recognized all the issues and destruction happening to our planet. He recruited Denis Hayes, an activist, to teach college students about the Earth. They settled on April 22nd to hold events all around the country promoting environmental movements. From there on, Earth Day grew bigger and bigger and became what it is today.
There are many ways to celebrate our wonderful Earth. For example, participating in a beach cleanup is a great way to protect our environment and have fun. It just so happens that we live right next to the beach, so when you have some free time or the weather is nice, try participating in a beach cleanup. It does not have to be an organized event, but if you want to participate with a group, sometimes Life@Fairfield will have scheduled beach cleanups posted.
Besides cleaning up the beach, you can do almost anything outside. Talking about a walk when the weather is nice is so therapeutic. If you have homework that you are procrastinating, try doing it while sitting in The Quad. There is something so nice about sitting outside, soaking in nature. If you are interested in Earth Day, there are so many organizations to donate to. Realistically, I know donating money as a broke college student is hard, but if you are looking for some suggestions here are three: One Tree Planted, Earth Justice and Daughters For Earth. I would also recommend going to a local zoo or aquarium. It might be difficult to get to one of those during the school year, but if you are looking for something unique to do this summer, check out your local zoo/aquarium. If you are ever near the Baltimore area, The National Aquarium is one of the best in the country. Both The Philadelphia Zoo and Smithsonian National Zoo (in Washington D.C) are great options as well.
If you are too busy or don’t want to celebrate Earth Day outside, I suggest watching nature documentaries. I know they sound boring, but trust me they are so relaxing and educational. I recently got into watching nature documentaries on both Netflix and Disney+. If you really don’t care about nature or animals, maybe this isn’t for you, but I find them very entertaining and therapeutic. On Netflix, there is a series called “Our Planet,” which is an educational nature docuseries capturing the beauty of animals in nature. On Disney+ I recommend watching “Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom” or “Growing Up Wild.”
As Earth Day approaches, try to take some time out of your day to appreciate nature. Whether it’s cleaning up the beach, going to the zoo or simply appreciating the beauty of nature, celebrate Earth Day by embracing the power we all hold to make a positive impact on our Earth. We can continue to cherish and protect our precious planet, ensuring a brighter and greener future for generations to come!
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