Earth Day 2024 - What will you be doing?

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on the 22nd of April, aimed at showing support for environmental protection. The first Earth Day was held in 1970 in New York City, where approximately 250,000 people flooded 5th Avenue. Since then, Earth Day has grown into a global movement and is now celebrated in over 190 countries across the world.

Earth Day serves as a day of action, focusing on man’s negative environmental impact. I t is an opportunity to push for worldwide, national, and local policy changes to create a greener planet for our long-term benefit. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet VS Plastics. The aim is to raise awareness of plastic pollution, especially that of single-use plastic consumption, an end to fast fashion, investing in technologies that can reduce plastic use and demand a 60% reduction in the production of plastic by the end of 2024.

What can you do?

Volunteer for activities like picking up litter in your community. - WESSA (Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa) Algoa Bay Branch Beach Cleanup will be on Saturday, 27th April, at the Beacon in Summerstrand from 9:30 to 10:30
Planting trees. Trees provide oxygen and shade.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Cut down on what you throw away, and especially rethink the use of plastics in your home. Can you reuse plastic items instead of throwing them into the bin?
Educate one another on environmental issues to protect the planet from climate change.
Conserve water ... not only during droughts. (e.g., install the water saving showerhead)
Use long lasting and eco-friendly, energy efficient lightbulbs.
For short trips use your bicycle or walk instead of using your car.
Consider carpooling when going to work or dropping the children off at school.
Use reusable shopping bags instead of using plastic shopping bags. Buy a stronger, reusable bag you can use every time you shop.
Use a refillable water bottle, preferably one with a filter attached, instead of buying disposable plastic bottles each time. That way, you can stay hydrated without adding to the plastic pollution problem.
Choose sustainable fruit and vegetables. Buy produce from a local farmer's market.
Shop wisely before buying fast fashion, and consider buying 2nd hand clothing. You can also consider repairing clothes or shoes to get a longer use out of them instead of sending them to landfill.
Start your own garden or join a community garden project.
Go outside and take some Earth Day pictures and post them on Facebook and other social media outlets on the 22nd April to show your support for Earth Day.