Earth Day 2016 – What is it and how can you celebrate it?
It’s time to give the Earth some love (Picture: Alamy – Credit: MylesGoode)
Happy Earth Day, everyone!
But what is Earth Day, we hear you cry?
Don’t worry, we have all your answers here, and we’ll tell you how you can get involved and do your bit to preserve this wonderful lump of rock we’re all flying around space on.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day 2016 – What is it and how can you celebrate it?
The purpose of Earth Day is to push the environmental movement forwards to address issues including sustainability, climate change and protecting the Earth for future generations.
Earth Day acts as a day in which people can hold fundraising events and raise awareness of environmental issues.
Although Earth Day is only one day a year, the movement itself is running all year round.
When did it begin?

It’s attributed to kickstarting the modern environmental movement, and helped usher in groundbreaking legislation including the Clean Air Act.The first Earth Day happened in America in 1970, with over 20 million Americans getting involved.
So it’s a big deal then?
Earth Day 2016 – What is it and how can you celebrate it?
One billion people globally now get involved with Earth Day every year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Is there a theme this year?
Yep – Trees For The Earth is the 2016 theme.
In fact, that’s the theme right up until the 50th anniversary in 2020.
The planet loses 15 billion trees per year, so the Earth Day Network plans to plant 7.8 billion trees by 2020 – one for every person on the planet. Time to get planting!
How can I get involved?
Earth Day 2016 – What is it and how can you celebrate it?
There are loads of ways to get stuck in to Earth Day.
You can join in with one of the many local events, or you could create your own event.
Your own event could be anything environmentally friendly – you could pick up rubbish in a local park, arrange for an environmental expert to give a talk to your community or school, or arrange a market day where local and environmentally friendly produce is sold.
If you don’t want the responsibility of organising a whole event but you still want to observe Earth Day in your own way, then you can join Earth Day Network’s push for A Billion Acts of Green.
To take part you only need to make a small change to reduce your carbon footprint, or you could just finally get round to recycling your e-waste.
Once you’ve committed an Act of Green, go to the website here and sign your name to the act you committed.
To find out more, visit the Earth Day website here.