Highlights daily “micro-challenges” for individuals to take to fight climate change in the face of the coronavirus pandemic
WASHINGTON, DC, (April 1, 2020) — To count down to the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, Earth Day Network is launching 22 days of Earth Day with daily “micro-challenges” that individuals can take every day to fight climate change in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. Each day will highlight an individual action people can take, no matter where they are.
Topics will feature actions that bolster Earth Day Network campaigns like the Great Global Cleanup, Foodprints for the Future and Earth Challenge 2020, as well as specific individual asks, like switching to renewable energy, adopting plant-based diets and registering to vote.
Recognizing the ever-changing ability of individuals to move and act outside in light of the novel coronavirus outbreak worldwide, all actions in the global challenge can be either taken online or from the safety of one’s home.
“While we collectively take action as individuals to bend the curve and reduce the spread of coronavirus, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture — our global climate crisis. The intrinsic connections between human health and planetary health sparked the first Earth Day in 1970, and today, we must rise to meet these dual crises again as Earth Day marks 50 years,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.
“In the face of a challenge that forces us to stay apart, we offer challenges to bring the world together. This 22-day series will allow people to connect through micro-challenges to take action right now, and every day, for our planet. Because no matter where you are in the world, we are connected by a fierce and urgent determination to overcome our shared emergencies, be it coronavirus or climate change.” said Rogers.
Each challenge will be posted daily on Earth Day Network’s social media channels (@earthdaynetwork). Participants can get involved by following the channels and adding their actions with the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE.
“Though we may be physically apart, we’re all in this together. Individual actions, when working together for a common good, can create a mass movement of change,” said Rogers.
2020 will be a monumental moment for the environmental movement. The year will see 65 major elections worldwide and countless mass mobilizations in defense of the planet.
“The year 2020 kicks off a decade of change, and April will kick off a month of bold actions for the planet. The Earth needs us now more than ever,” said Rogers.
The challenges fit into Earth Day Network’s S.A.V.E. framework for action for the 50th anniversary: Speak up, Act, Vote, Educate.
On April 22 as Earth Day goes digital, the world will seize all the tools and actions that we have, big and small, to change our lives and change our world — not for one day, but forever.
