Happy Earth Day everyone! Hopefully, by the time you are reading this post, you will be encouraged to find ways of fighting climate change and saving the earth in any smallest way possible, we owe it to our planet.

Despite hearing all the scary news out there about climate change, there are reasons to be delighted and celebrate this Earth day! In a recent survey done by United Nations, thanks to a bigger worldwide investment in renewable resources, we’re 15 percent of the way towards averting that disastrous 2-degree Celcius rise in Earth’s temperature. That been said we still have a lot of work to do.

Before I continue with my post, I’d like all of you to know how the national day “Earth Day” originated.

History

The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.

Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes from Harvard as national coordinator. Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land and April 22, was selected as the official date.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

Earth Day Today

As the millennium approached, the awareness was much widespread. Earth day 2000 used the power of the Internet to organize activists and spread awareness and update activists with the current issues being faced.

Earth Day had reached its current status as the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

How can you contribute as a citizen of Earth

Spread the awareness, whether at your school, college, work or home. Debate topics about climate change, make an impact and make your loved ones, friends and colleague aware of how critical the climate change is and how it can impact us.

Vote or support for eco-warriors, eco-bloggers, eco-fashionistas or candidates who will advocate for climate-related legislation and policy improvements. The right climate enactment has the power to move mountains.

Reduce greenhouse gas from your daily lives, whether from your home, office or your means of transportation. Try and eat less meat, atleast limit it once a week if you’re a hardcore meat lover, go for solar power, change your lightbulbs to energy efficient ones, all these little changes are an act of green.

Cleanup  Take responsibility by planting some trees, clean up a stream or help your local community garden

Register with a local environmental community, find out updates on what eco activities the community will be hosting, and try and volunteer, or else donate for a cause local or internationally.

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The beauty of Earth, these images below should make you think and remind you what a beautiful planet we live in, and why it’s important to protect Earth’s beauty and resources.

Slideshow below, these images are not mine and belong to their respective owners.

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Happy Earth Day everyone! Love and Protect your planet.