Why we celebrate Earth Day and tips to get involved

At Nectr we believe Earth Day is about taking time to consider the planet and our role in tackling issues such as climate change, reducing pollution and coordinated strategies to improve our planet. Earth Day isn’t just about big picture policies and strategies developed by big business and government; we hope that the day inspires all people to look at their own contribution to take action. In this article, we will explain what Earth Day stands for and what you can do at an individual level to make a difference.

What is Earth Day?

Earth Day is celebrated every year around the world as a day of action for our planet. Its aim is to raise awareness of environmental challenges and issues that negatively impact our planet. This year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth” and is celebrated today - 22April 2021. Earth Day originated in 1970 and came about when US Senator Gaylord Nelson witnessed the effect of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill. At the time, the Santa Barbara oil spill was the largest disaster of its kind in American history. Nelson decided to launch a national 'teach-in on the environment' to raise awareness of similar issues and the first Earth Day took place in 1970.

Now Earth Day is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 75,000 partners in over 192 countries to drive positive action for our planet. We can all take part in the many events celebrated globally to support environmental protection.

Let’s drive energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to create a plan of action to help our planet. We have are some ideas of how you can take part and steps you can take at home to make a difference.

1) Plogging

This is simple, easy and effective, and means picking up garbage while jogging! It’s as simple as that plus it provides a fun and effective way to get a workout while cleaning up the local area and helping the environment. Try plogging with some friends and your family and make a bigger impact.

2) Food print

Fight climate change with diet change. A foodprint is an interesting notion as it measures the environmental impacts associated with the growing, producing, transporting, and storing of our food— from the natural resources consumed to the pollution produced to the greenhouse gases emitted. During your next grocery shop, take note of the items in your trolley (or online shopping cart) and think about the amount of packaging per item. It’s excessive isn’t it and it all goes into your garbage.

A great way to start making a change is to pack your fruit and veggies in are-usable bag, look out for clever and environmentally conscious brands who have minimised their packaging, or buy from the source and bring your own bags.

3) Individual and group clean-ups

This Earth Day, consider organising a clean-up in your local area/park with family and friends. By including your children or nephews and nieces, you can create a fun day whilst teaching them a valuable lesson about the impact of waste and the importance of picking up our rubbish. Try it this weekend as every little bit helps and small groups can have a big impact.

4) Check out local council initiatives

Check what your local council is doing throughout the year as most local councils are continuously working on initiatives that we can all get involved in. We suggest you check out their local website for a calendar of when they run local clean up days, when they organise collection of large items from your home, plus other initiatives. Clean Up Australia is always a popular one to get involved in.

5) Being energy efficient in our home

This is our favourite topic at Nectr and we have many blogs dedicated to helping you reduce your energy. Start with our blog: How to cut down your energy usage and bill.

At Nectr we have made a commitment to help our customers be part of a smarter and more sustainable energy movement. We only offer 100% carbon neutral or a 100% GreenPower electricity plans for residential customers across NSW, QLD and SA. We are dedicated to making a difference. Make the switch to Nectr; Get a personalised quote today.

6) Plant a tree

Planting a tree is a great way to celebrate Earth Day. When people plant trees they are doing more than just beautifying an area. Trees are beneficial to the environment in several ways, they help produce oxygen and filter out pollutants to clean the air. If you don’t have a garden you can participate in tree planting initiatives such as Trees For Life or Greening Australia. There are many other organisations in your area, contact your council for more information.

As well as taking action against climate change, Earth Day is all about spreading awareness of the issues our planet is facing and spreading the message of Earth Day to as many people as possible. Share this blog with friends and family and help take a step towards making a change.

This is not just a one-day action, we can all ensure to make small changes to contribute to a cleaner environment. If you found this blog handy, join us on Instagram and Facebook and learn more about how you can take action.