Celebrating Earth Day 2012

Happy Earth Day! Every year, the citizens of the Earth take one day out of the year, April 22nd, to reflect on our beautiful Earth and what we can do to help her. If you need help getting started, there are ways to inspire you from the internet, of course.

With Mother Nature Network’s Idea Lab, users can “resolve” to do something for Earth Day, and of course, share their ideas with others. This Idea Lab may push people to start something new for the spring, like planting a few vegetables in their back yard or carpooling to work a few days a week. This tool isn’t that interactive, but it does give you good ideas on how to celebrate Earth Day with a few quick and easy ideas.

Along the same lines, but more interactive,  is the EPA Conversations website. You can start a forum-like discussion with others about popular issues like green tips, climate change, improving air quality, chemical use reduction, cleaning up communities, protecting water, and many other great ideas. The fun thing about this conversations tool is that it gives users a way to agree and disagree with other choices presented, allowing a lot of great discussion. You can even log in to this website with your account of choice (I chose Google) and you can weigh in on the decisions easily. This is great video by the EPA that reminds us to think before we litter or use plastic. Of course, they use plastic bags to pick up the trash, but of course they will be recycling that later!

Yet another way to pledge to help the environment on Earth Day is through Earth Day Network’s Billion Acts of Green. This is my favorite platform for pledging acts. You can search through people’s of green through these categories: Green Schools and Education, Advocacy, Energy, Transportation, Sustainable Development, Conservation and Biodiversity, Recycling and Waste Reduction, and Water. This movement on Earth Day Network is more about mobilizing the leaders of the world and also the communities to stand up for environmental rights and begin to turn the world around. You can view Earth Day events on this page as well. Just remember, it is important not only to pledge to change your habits, but to actually DO IT.  Here is their promotional video, explaining how we need to mobilize the Earth.

Of course, the most important thing about Earth Day is actually DOING THE ACT THAT YOU PROMISED TO DO. Change out those light bulbs, pay attention to what can be recycled, pick up trash off your yard, and stop using plastic bags.  Carpool, re-use, reduce. It may not seem like you’re making a huge difference, but together, with the help of millions and millions of people, the Earth can turn around. It is important to explain to people as much as you can that the Earth’s resources are being stretched too thin, that someday soon, water will stop flowing out of our pipes or our food will be too contaminated to eat from pollution. These are just a few of the many things that will happen to the Earth unless we pledge to make a difference. Make a difference this Earth Day 2012, and reduce, reuse, recycle!

Of course, you can also donate your voice to the world water crisis via Water.org or follow these accounts on Twitter to keep up with how you can help the Earth and other green news: @EarthDayNetwork, @EPAgov, @MotherNatureNet, @TreeHugger, @EarthShare, @CareEnvironment, @ENNnews