Nothing should stop us from taking care of the Earth and participating in campaign drives supporting causes that take care of the environment. If you are part of an organization, this is the time when you have to share your environmental thoughts and ideals so that the whole group can help you realize them.
The Origins of Earth Day
The whole world celebrates Earth Day on April 22 every year with various fun activities geared to help protect, preserve, and improve the environment. Have you ever wonder why the world celebrates Earth day?
Earth Day started in 1970 to respond to the growing clamor to make positive changes for the planet. Back then, Americans were mindlessly consuming lots of leaded gases with the production of inefficient mobiles. These cars are the sources of air pollution as they belched out smoke and sludge. Unfortunately, the law or the press ignored these acts at that time until Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring was published in 1962, which opened the eyes of the public to the harsh realities that they should address.
Decades after, our planet is still facing multitudes of problems. We have to do our share to save it from utter destruction. Here are some activities for your organization that you can do to celebrate Earth Day:
1. Set up a celebration highlighting your organization’s environmental goals.
Your organization is not just about membership but also its relevance to our society. Remind the whole group of its responsibility to the environment. In a scheduled meeting, make sure to include in the agenda some environmental activities that you can do in months to come.
If you are a veteran, Earth Day would be more significant if you celebrate it while you reminisce the struggles and victory you have experienced during the war. Aside from discussing possible designs on custom military challenge coins for your organization, consider raising matters that talk about your organization’s small but significant contributions to your community.
2. Take the celebrations to the streets and raise awareness.
Instead of remembering Earth Day in a cozy bar, take the event to the streets and let the world know that you care about Mother Earth. Catch people’s attention by organizing a colorful parade with members bearing environment-related slogans and captions. You may also want to distribute flyers that act as a primer and action toolkit informing people of our environment’s state. Before the Earth Day celebrations, consider researching possible events that your organization can tie up or sponsor. It could be a beach clean-up or raising a no-plastic day in a mall. Be with like-minded people and network with them so that you can achieve bigger goals and create more impact together!
3. Start a contest to motivate people to be environmentally friendly.
Words will become more meaningful if there are concrete acts that reward people who do their share in taking care of the environment. The contest should have achievable outputs that can be done within a month or two before the Earth Day celebration. Maybe, your organization can set prizes as to who can recycle the most plastic, reduce paper consumption faster, or devise action plans to reduce the community’s carbon footprint.
Be receptive to ideas from other members. Observe and determine major problems in your surroundings and make them as inspiration to start a contest. To entice more participants, consider advertising the contest on TV, in the local newspapers, and on the Internet.
4. Set up volunteering activities in the community.
Volunteering will never go out of style. There are lots of volunteer opportunities that require group efforts. Why not try networking with other organizations and volunteer to clean your local street or downtown area! If you live in a big city, try searching online for bigger organizations that are into these events. Contact them in advance so that they can designate you to a specific area in your city.
You can also encourage your organization to volunteer for conservation and environment protection groups located in your community. Find the organization that wants to address climate change, protect land and water, and build healthy cities. Networking with organizations that offer grassroots intervention to prevent habitat loss among animals is also a good option.
Increase your organization’s relevance in the community on Earth Day by setting up environment-related activities that everybody can enjoy. Research in advance and find out more details on how to execute these activities properly. Never hesitate to network with other organizations to make the responsibility lighter. Also, set up committees that will ensure that the activities are carried out in an organized manner. You will be surprised that you are achieving goals and making everybody satisfied and happy with your wonderful Earth Day ideas.
