Earth Day 2025

April 22nd marks #EarthDay2025. First established in 1970 and becoming a global event in 1990, it's a day to celebrate the environmental movement on a worldwide scale, with over one billion people of all ages in nearly 200 countries involved. The theme for this year is 'our power, our planet.' The focus is on renewable energy, with organisers calling for worldwide energy generation from renewable sources, like wind and solar, to triple by 2030 - closely aligning with pledges made at COP28 (which renewables are slightly off track to meet).

Since it's inception, #EarthDay has achieved a fair few things - the establishment of the US Environmental Protection Agency, the creation or strengthening of laws like the Clean Air Act, as well as more recent events like tree planting on a vast scale, helping farmers with sustainable agriculture practices and the boom of carbon literacy projects worldwide. A further plus, some say, is the impact of Earth Day on lifting environmental issues further up national and international agendas. In fact, in 2016, the Paris Agreement was signed on Earth Day, which had been symbolically chosen. 

Earth Day does not come without its critics, however. Some warn that achievements, like those mentioned previously, only give a false sense of progress, when the global context is marked by global temperature rise and species extinction, and where efforts have fallen short of stopping or reversing these trends. Noted by Earth Day organiser Ms Rogers and by Greta Thunberg in 2022, there are also those individuals and companies who use Earth Day to promote misleading messages, by claiming environmental credentials but making no real changes, known as greenwashing. Organisers call on governments to act against those businesses or industries who use Earth Day cynically to lie to consumers. 

It is important to remember these concerns and keep them in mind. But Earth Day still stands as a great opportunity to inspire many to get involved and protect our planet. And it doesn't have to be limited to the theme - there's a whole range of worthwhile and beneficial activities to participate in. Some examples include: 

🚲 Active travel: walk and cycle instead of driving your car, or take public transport. 

🌱 Change your diet: eat more plants and less meat

🌻 Green your space: plant pollinator-friendly and native plants, try composting, or get involved in a community garden project. 

🌳 Volunteer for conservation efforts: tree planting, litter picking, beach cleans - you could even organise one yourself! 

📝 Educate yourself: learning about climate change, the causes, impacts, and solutions is incredibly valuable. 

UN1TY are running #CarbonLiteracyTraining next month where you can learn about all of this and more. Get in touch for more information, or see the link here: Carbon Literacy Project - Guernsey Tickets, Tue 20 May 2025 at 09:00 | Eventbrite to book. There's only a few spaces left so don't miss out!

#EarthDay2025 #Guernsey #CarbonLiteracyTraining