A message from 4ocean on Earth Day. If you’d like to share this video, visit our YouTube page by clicking HERE.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. It comes at a time when ordinary life is much different than what we are used to. Things have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and we now must all celebrate and honor our incredible planet from the comfort of our own homes.
Earth Day shines a much needed light on the current state of our climate and our oceans. This is an important time for us all to amplify our message and grow the movement. The theme of Earth Day 2020 is "Climate Action", which may seem like a broad theme, but when focused, can be quite powerful and connects directly to our mission of ending ocean plastic pollution. At the end of 2020, many countries will be deciding whether or not to increase their commitments to the 2015 Paris Climate Change Agreement. This is a huge milestone and provides us all with an opportunity to encourage and drive real change.
With 70% of the Earth's surface covered in water, we at 4ocean strive to end the ocean plastic crisis by removing the plastic pollution that already exists and by stopping it before it ever gets there through through education and advocacy. We see the passion that the clean ocean movement has within themselves and cannot state strongly enough how much we appreciate your never-ending support along the way. Let’s continue to unite and fight ocean plastic pollution together.
Below, please find a few ways that you can participate in this year’s Earth Day, even in the comfort of your own homes or neighborhoods. Remember, there is no planet B and if we do not take care of the extraordinary gift that was given to us, we will certainly regret it.
How To Participate in Earth Day 2020
1. MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD
One of the easiest things you can do is to continue the conversation. This not only helps raise awareness around the ocean plastic crisis and environmental concerns in general, it ensures people know the facts and helps break down any potential walls. We would truly appreciate it if the members of the clean ocean movement could share images or videos celebrating our incredible blue planet this Wednesday while calling out the ocean plastic crisis and tagging us.
Tips for sharing on social media:
- Use the official Earth Day hashtag #EARTHDAY2020
- Make sure to tag @4ocean so we can see and share your posts
- Stay on message! This year’s theme is “climate action” which has a direct correlation to the ocean plastic pollution crisis aka our mission!
- Feel free to include a link to this blog!
- Feel free to use our video above or an engaging image
2. CHECK OUT "EARTH DAY LIVE"
With the originally planned protests being canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Earth Day events are going digital. The organizers have decided to host Earth Day Live, a three-day livestream event including teach-ins, musical performances, and panels about what the climate movement is doing.
Wednesday (actual Earth Day) will be focused on the experiences of frontline communities, Thursday is devoted to divestment from fossil fuels, and Friday is a voter mobilization event, focused on getting thousands of people registered to vote. There will be plenty of speakers and celebrities scheduled to take part in the event.
The event will be streamed on Vimeo and will also get syndicated across popular social media platforms like TikTok and Twitch
3. DRIVE LEGISLATIVE CHANGE
Spreading the word is always a huge help and what continues to bring new people into the clean ocean movement. Another helpful way to get involved is to encourage those in power to consider changes to government legislation.
It’s always a good idea to stay up to speed on what petitions or potential congressional bills are in circulation and need our support. Be sure to read the fine print and make sure the bill or petition you’re supporting aligns with what you, personally, believe.
Our friends at Surfrider are asking their supporters to contact their representatives. Visit the Surfrider Climate Change Action Alert page today to learn more!
4. OTHER WAYS TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY:
- Ride your bike instead of driving a car
- Plant a tree in your yard or neighborhood
- Sign a petition or write a representative
- Pledge to stop using single-use plastic products
- Go outside and pick up some litter in your neighborhood
- Head over to 4ocean.com and pull a pound!
Earth Day Photo Contest Winners
Thank you so much to everyone that participated in the 4ocean Earth Day Photo Contest this year. We received thousands of photos from all across the world and are excited to share select photos on our IG and FB stories. All winners have now been contacted.
Photo by Julia Franzik.
The First Earth Day 1970
The original Earth Day was a unified response to an environment in crisis — oil spills, smog, rivers so polluted they literally caught fire.
On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans (10% of the U.S. population at the time) took to the streets, college campuses and hundreds of cities to protest environmental ignorance and demand a new way forward for our planet.
The first Earth Day is credited with launching the modern environmental movement, and is now recognized as the planet’s largest civic event.
New York City’s Fifth Avenue is filled with thousands of people on the First Earth Day on April 22, 1970
Image by © Bettmann/CORBIS | Photo Credit: Tommy Japan