Involve your school in Earth Day – Earth Day facts
Involve your school in Earth Day – Earth Day facts
By participating in Earth Day, you join a community of over 1 billion people who celebrate this holiday every year.
Earth Day is all about raising awareness and taking action to protect our planet. Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, inspired the first Earth Day after witnessing the devastation caused by a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Senator Nelson, unwilling to remain on the side-lines any longer, organised a national "teach in" to educate and inspire people to protect the environment.
Since beginning in 1970, Earth Day has generated public support for the Environmental Protection Agency as well as environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
This year, Earth Day is taking place on Saturday 22 April and follows the theme ‘Invest In Our Planet’. As an SBM, take charge and educate your school on these facts.
Make a pledge and a plan to take action
Writing down a commitment and making a plan are two actions that increase the likelihood that someone will follow through. So, if you want those Earth Day lessons to stick, this is an easy activity to do with students of any age. This is a great way to incorporate an art project with a writing prompt. So, pass on the activity to your teachers and help celebrate Earth Day.
Integrate art projects
Art projects are a fun way to add a hands-on activity to a lesson about Earth Day. Creating art can also help students feel connected to environmental topics, even if the issues you’re studying are happening far away from home. It’s also a great way to help them imagine the world they want to live in.
Make signs for school and at home
Sometimes we just need a little reminder to help us change our habits. Have students think about what they can do at school and at home to help the environment and how they can encourage others to change their habits. Provide paper and card and pens for children to decorate their posters with.
Earth Day facts
Celebrate Earth Day with these facts. Expand your knowledge and pass them on to your teachers and school. Why not hold an assembly and explain the importance of Earth Day to your students? Listen to the theme song below and tell them some of the things they can do to help the Earth. For more ideas and ways to help your school become eco-friendlier and more sustainable, check out our recent blog here.
Other countries know it as "International Mother Earth Day."
That's the name it was given by the United Nations in 2009. In the states, they still call it plain old Earth Day.
Earth Day has its own theme song.
The Earth Day Anthem was written in 2013 by Indian poet Abhay Kumar and has since been recorded in all official UN languages. Listen to it here!
Earth Day started in the 1970s
Earth Day first came into being on April 22, 1970, followed in 1972 by World Environment Day. It has been celebrated ever since, slowly but surely picking up steam as more and more people have recognised the importance of taking care of the Earth.
10% of the U.S. population celebrated the first Earth Day
Gaylord Nelson chose this date in the third week of April to appeal to his core demographic—students—and April 22 fell between their spring break and final exams. Enormous inspirational rallies were held all over the country, with 20 million people—10% of the U.S. population at that time—taking to the streets.
Celebrate Earth Day in your school with these activities and pass these interesting Earth Day facts to your teachers and students. Earth Day is super important, and we need to look after our planet, so be sure to incorporate these activities throughout the whole year, not just for certain days.
If your school does something special to celebrate Earth Day, then let us know on Twitter!
