Every year on April 22nd, people worldwide celebrate Earth Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about environmental issues and promoting sustainable practices. This year’s theme, “Invest In Our Planet,” emphasizes the importance of dedicating time, resources, and energy to addressing climate change and other environmental issues. In addition, Earth Day 2023 is a call to action for individuals, businesses, and governments to take steps toward creating a more sustainable and equitable future.
Earth Month Events
Earth Month is commemorated throughout April with marches, rallies, volunteer events, and more. These events are an excellent way to get involved in your local community and show your support for environmental causes. By attending an Earth Month event, you can join an inclusive and impactful movement, driving a year of energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to a sustainable future for our planet.
Organizing A Cleanup
Organizing a cleanup is a great way to make a tangible impact on the environment and engage your community. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you manage a successful cleanup:
- Select an appropriate site, date, and time. Choosing the right location, date, and time ensures a successful cleanup. Select a public location easily accessible by public transportation or bicycle, such as a park or river. Consider the time of year and weather conditions when planning the event. Most cleanups happen between 9:00am and 11:00am.
- Organize a planning group. Decide who will organize the cleanup and invite members from local government, civic organizations, clubs, homeowner associations, institutions, and media to serve on a cleanup planning committee. Appoint site captains to manage the event and designate roles to ensure the cleanup goes smoothly.
- Gather volunteers. Register your cleanup on the Great Global Cleanup Map to connect with our global network of volunteers. Advertise your cleanup to your organization, family, friends, and/or community members. Use Facebook or Eventbrite to create the event, manage volunteer sign-ups, and get creative with offline methods like posters around the neighbourhood or bulletin boards.
- Line up supplies and arrange for disposal. Ask for donations of trash bags, refreshments, and equipment from local hardware stores or other businesses. Coordinate with local waste management to ensure everything is disposed of according to rules and regulations. Gather supplies like trash bags or buckets, trash grabbers, a first aid kit, gloves, hand sanitizer, water/snacks, tables and chairs, and event signage.
- Start your cleanup day. Check the weather, dress appropriately, send reminders to all participants and critical individuals, and invite local media outlets to cover the event. Arrive early to set up before volunteers arrive.
- Orientation and safety talk. Safety is critical, so give a brief orientation and safety talk before the cleanup begins. Wear gloves and closed-toe shoes, and bring a hat, sunscreen, and a reusable water bottle. Keep the environment safe by being mindful of sensitive vegetation and wildlife. Remove trash, litter, and recyclables.
- Dispose of the waste. Find a location to properly dispose of all the waste you will clean up. Sort the waste into trash, recyclables, and hazardous waste, and contact your local municipality’s waste department if you need help with how to dispose of any waste.
- Following up. Report your cleanup to help track trash and have it recorded on our public map. Share pictures before and after your collection on social media with relevant handles like #EarthDay, #GreatGlobalCleanup, and #TrashTag. Post your event on social media and tag the @thegreatglobalcleanup. Share your images with local newspapers, magazines, and EARTHDAY.ORG, and write thank you emails to cooperating officials, businesses, and organizations.
By following these steps, you can plan a successful and effective cleanup that will contribute to the global effort to reduce plastic waste.
Earth Day 2023 reminds us that investing in our planet is necessary to protect it and pave a path toward a prosperous future. We can support healthy, happy, and wealthy communities worldwide by taking action to address climate change and other environmental issues.
As individuals, we can create change through our influence as consumers, voters, and community members. When our voices and actions are united with millions of others worldwide, we can create an inclusive and impactful movement that is impossible to ignore.
