On 22nd April every year, the world celebrates Earth Day. The international earth day was first initiated in 1970 and has been continuing to grow as a global phenomenon ever since. It is celebrated every year to serve as a reminder of how fragile our planet is, and the ever-increasing need to protect it. Every year, the celebrations promote a clean, healthy, sustainable, and prosperous habitat for all living organisms.
2020 has been a really important year in every aspect and clearly made its impact as the first year of a new decade. This year has surely given mankind a clear indication of where the world is going. So should we continue to be ignorant, or take this as the last warning and do something about what is going on? The decision is ours to make. When talking about Earth Day, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of this annual celebration, hence being an important year in this aspect as well.
Find out more about Earth Day 2020, and how you can get involved, in this article!
What’s The Theme For 2020?
It’s pretty obvious that 2020 has proven to be an eye-opener for us all. From the very beginning, we have been experiencing the devastating effects of climate change, and so, it has become the most insistent topic. Therefore, the theme for this year is climate change.
Undoubtedly, it is the biggest crisis to have ever existed. A science student should be able to relate this to stable and unstable equilibrium. Once the object enters a state of unstable equilibrium, it falls.
However, if it still is closer to the stability point, it gets back to the neutral position. Similarly, if the earth dis-balances from its state of equilibrium, there’s no coming back. Hence, the importance of climate action.
Luckily, people are realizing this and are now trying to reduce the effects of climate change. But like everything else, every major change requires every minor effort. Thus, it is important that every single person plays or at least tries to play their part in this.
Earth Day During Pandemic.
Moving on to the fact that this year, Earth Day will be celebrated under the mark of two major crises. Climate change, and COVID-19 pandemic. So how do we continue the Earth Day legacy?
Coronavirus may have forced us to stay apart and keep our distance, but it cannot disconnect us digitally. Therefore, this year, Earth Day will go digital. Every person can be a part of this global movement and contribute. Distance doesn’t mean silence. You can still make a difference through the comfort of your own home. All that is required is unity.
Earth Day 2020 will be a digital movement but there will be no difference in the goals. The goal remains to organize the world to make a difference by taking the required actions. Earth Day movement is not supposed to be limited to only one day, instead, it is a movement that lasts forever. It requires every individual to take actions, big or small, and help change the world for the better.
Hack Embassy’s Virtual Event
To celebrate Earth Day 2020, Hack Embassy organized a virtual event for everyone to participate in. The event commenced from April 20 to April 24, 2020. It included activities inclusive of a virtual drawing competition for school-going children and making a pledge video for all age groups as well as an informative live session on Earth day.
The digital drawing contest was a great way for children to get involved. Not only did it give them something interesting to do during quarantine, but it also allowed them to think of innovative ideas of helping Mother Earth. While on the other hand, taking a pledge about committing to at least one environmental action awakened a sense of accountability and responsibility. Similarly, the live session helped create awareness. This virtual event was an effort from Hack Embassy to promote individuals to make a difference through whatever little or vast resources they have as well as to celebrate Earth Day 2020 while maintaining the social distance.
How Are Pakistani’s Celebrating Earth Day during Quarantine?
Like everywhere around the world, Pakistani’s also made sure that social distancing is practiced while the Earth Day activities carry on. Organizations like Hack Embassy organized virtual events while others arranged national and international webinars. ECO Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ECO-IEST), arranged an international webinar to celebrate Earth Day. Professor Manzoor Soomro, President Economic Cooperation Organization (ECOSF), attended the webinar as the keynote speaker and delivered speeches to inspire people nationwide.
Other citizens of Pakistan continued to celebrate the day on an individual level. Some hosted watch parties to create awareness while others put their message in art. Donations, plantations, and other goodwill activities continued with zest. The thing about Karachiites that never falters is, they celebrate every event with extreme enthusiasm, and quarantine doesn’t mean the fun should end. And so, the enthusiasm didn’t abate. Some decided to join international online movements, while others put their skills to test by making plant-based food to recycle different household items and making them into something new.
How Can You Honor The Day?
While you’re staying at home, you can do a lot of different things to honor the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Here’s a small list of ten things you can do to help save Earth and to promote a better future for us all:
- Plant a Tree in your yard.
- Reduce your carbon footprints and sustainable shopping in the times to come.
- Eat plant-based meals.
- Spread awareness.
- Join webinars and virtual events.
- Make donations.
- Recycle and reuse.
- Pledge to use tote bags instead of plastic bags.
- Take shorter showers.
- Save electricity.
The above-mentioned are just ten out of hundreds of things you can do to honor Earth Day 2020. Just be innovative and stay creative!
Last but not the least, please keep in mind that making promises, and taking actions to protect and save Mother Earth is not to be limited only to Earth Day. Treat every day like Earth Day if you care for Earth and love the people around you. There won’t be any humanity left without Earth, so it surely should be everyone’s foremost priority to protect our planet and treat it right.
Happy 50th Earth Day!
