Celebrating Earth Day 2023: How We Can Make a Difference

Happy Earth Day 2023! If you can believe it, I’ve never done an Earth Day post. Every year since I’ve started the blog, I end up taking a break from the end of March until the beginning of July. A “things got busy and this got pushed out of the way” break. But not this year people! This is You Had Me At Solo’s first ever Earth Day post.

I love Earth Day. It’s a relatively new holiday day that has massively caught on in popularity. Actually, it is the largest secular observance in the world, with more than a billion people participating annually!

Where It All Began

How did Earth Day start? Because it’s a relatively new holiday, only created in 1970. Fun fact: Earth Day was created before the EPA (which was established in December of the same year)!

In the 60s, people began realizing the impact actions like funding heavy industry, toxic waste dumping, and spraying insecticides were having on the environment. Think Rachel Carsen’s Silent Spring. Quickly following the establishment of Earth Day came the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

Earth Day 2023

This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet”. We need to start viewing climate change as an economical problem, not just an environmental one. And one that includes governments, businesses, and citizens together as opposed to putting the brunt of the climate issue on everyday peeps. Without investment in clean technology and climate education, we will continue creating dead zones and deserts. When there is no planet left, will it really matter if your company improved the bottom line in Q2? (spoiler alert: it will not).

Investment can be more than money. It can be investing your time, pushing for sustainable solutions, supporting climate solutions, etc. The investment piece really highlights that it’s more than just a day; it’s a lifestyle. You shouldn’t just plant a tree on Earth Day, call it quits, and use single use plastic the rest of the year.

What Can We Do?

My favorite way to celebrate is volunteering. Check out your local watershed, national parks, local gardens and such to see where help is needed. Even just getting outside. Take an hour to really be intentional about connecting with our planet. Write to your congresspeople about environmental policies. The official Earth Day website also has a bunch of suggested ways to participate including signing petitions, participating in stream clean ups, and planting trees. What’s your favorite way to celebrate?