5 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary from Home

April 22, 2020/ Emily Brauner / Climate, Conservation, North America, Ocean Conservancy, Oceans, Species

Published by Ocean Conservancy

Today is the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. In 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated on the first day of spring in the Western Hemisphere. It was a perfect time to celebrate the Earth as it was undergoing its annual rebirth. People went out and enjoyed the sunshine while raising awareness about the critical need to protect our environment. Fifty years later, it is one of the largest secular holidays on earth, celebrated by more than a billion people each year.

This Earth Day is different, as every day is different during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We may not be able to go out and enjoy fellowship in the sunshine like the first celebrators of Earth Day, but that doesn’t mean we cannot celebrate it at all. This year, we have a wonderful array of opportunities that both honors our progress in the past fifty years and continues the charge to protect our environment for generations to come.

1. Take 24 Hours of Action on Earth Day

The Earth Day Network has 24 hours of virtual opportunities to celebrate the 50th anniversary.

• Join them for 24 hours of action, featuring a new action every hour today. These are actions that you can take right now and from your own home to continue our collective fight for the planet.
• Make your voice heard in the global digital surge by participating in the social media storm. Join them with the hashtag #EarthDay2020 to flood digital platforms with messages of hope, optimism and action to keep environmental action front and center in our collective global conversation.
• Watch the Earth Day Live livestream with video messages from former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, actor and activist Zac Efron, former UN climate chief Christiana Figueres, media personality Van Jones, Grammy Award-winning musician Ricky Kej, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and more.

 2. Watch Our Live Conversations

• We’ll be sharing a special interview with Captain Benny Blanco, Flamingo light tackle charter captain and clean water advocate, and our own J.P. Brooker, Senior Manager & Policy Counsel for Florida Conservation, for Ocean Conservancy about their work in Florida conservation. Tune in today, April 22 at 5:00 pm EST.
• George Leonard, Chief Scientist, and Becca Robbins Gisclair, Senior Director of Arctic Programs, will be joining the Centerplate head chef for the Mariners about sustainable seafood and helping fishermen. Head over to Centerplate’s Facebook page today, April 22 at 12:00 pm EST to learn more.
• Ships connect the world. Unfortunately, fossil-fueled ships also destroy it. Dan Hubbell, Shipping Emission Campaign Manager at Ocean Conservancy will be talking about ways to get ships off fossil fuels. Attend the webinar today, April 22, at 3:00 pm EST.

 3. Show Some Ocean Love

During this unprecedented time, here at Ocean Conservancy, we are fortunate to be able to continue working to protect the ocean. We are honored to celebrate our ocean this Earth Day with a very generous gift from our Board of Directors and generous donors. Every gift you donate will be triple matched—up to $100,000—making one gift reach three times as far for our ocean. If you have the resources to give at this time, celebrate Earth Day by supporting our work.

 4. Find Inspiration at the Earth Optimism Summit

This free digital event showcases stories of both small and large-scale actions that demonstrate that success is possible. Explore some of the incredible sessions starting today and running until April 26th:

• From Coral Reefs to Floating Cities: Two visionary inventors, one a marine biologist and the other an architect, discuss ways they are designing solutions to seemingly impossible problems.
• Climate Change and Coastal Cities: Political and business leaders join scientists in a discussion of how we are restoring and building resiliency and sustainability into our port cities, where most of our people live and the majority of our economy is based.
• Big Thinking on Land and Sea: On land and in the ocean, in cities and rural landscapes, conservation leaders discuss saving species, protecting places, and uniting people with the natural world.
• Environmental Justice: Individuals from different backgrounds discuss their work with communities to address environmental challenges and bring people closer to nature at both local and global scales.
• A View from the Ocean: Find out how the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working to help preserve and restore the health of the ocean and the organisms that depend on it.

 5. Celebrate New Partnerships

Earth Day is a busy time for us! We’re excited to launch two new partnerships to support our work:

• Sea Bags: Founded in 1999 on a commitment to sustainability, Sea Bags recycles used sails into nautically inspired totes and accessories. As part of their commitment to community, they are partnering with us to support our work and release new ocean-themed totes. Through May 2, Sea Bags is donating 20% of the purchase price of the White-on-Navy Sea Turtle Collection to Ocean Conservancy.
• Bearaby: Bearaby, the sustainable weighted blanket company, believes that all companies—big or small—have a duty to protect our planet. Bearaby’s weighted blankets are made from sustainably-sourced wood pulp. For the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Bearaby is launching the Ocean Napper. Hand-knit and dipped in non-toxic, water-based dye for a unique, blue to white gradient effect, this limited-edition weighted blanket aims to raise awareness for plastic pollution in our ocean. The Ocean Napper is fully biodegradable on land and water, and Bearaby is donating $50 from each Napper sale to Ocean Conservancy through April 30th, with a guaranteed minimum donation of $10,000.

Earth Day comes every year. This year’s celebration might be a little different, but it is a testament of the positive impact of our hard work and our enduring commitment to the environment. No matter how you celebrate it, we hope you take a moment to thank yourself for being such a wonderful friend to our ocean.

The post 5 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary from Home appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.

Read the full article at: https://blog.oceanconservancy.org/blog/2020/04/22/5-ways-celebrate-earth-days-50th-anniversary-home/