Want to save the earth but don’t know how? Want to meet up with like-minded people and be inspired to make a difference to our environment?
With these five events you’ll be all set to create positive change and encourage sustainability around the globe.
Earth Day, 1970
Today, we take for granted that big businesses just can't pump out waste into the environment without attracting a lot of negative attention. That wasn't always the case though, and we can thank the original Earth Day in 1970 for that change. It was US Senator Gaylord Nelson who started the initiative, after witnessing the devastation of an oil spill. Environmental concerns were pushed onto the national political agenda, and the movement was supported by the public, from all walks of life.
It culminated in a day of protest and raising awareness for such problems, which became a tradition. Earth Day led to the founding of the EPA, and much of today's awareness of our culture's sustainability issues.
A Billion Acts of Green
More than forty years later, the Earth Day network acts as a central hub for organising green events around the world. Varying in scope and type of action, these Acts of Green can be submitted by individuals or organisations, to let people know what they are doing to help. It can be as small as one person riding a bicycle to work instead of driving, or as large as a company setting a special day in which all employees are encouraged to ride bikes to work.
As varied as they can be, the goals are the same: we need to raise awareness, learn to incorporate acts of green into our everyday lives, and send a message to people in power that we require swift political action on ecological concerns.
Clean Up Australia
Since the early 1990s, Clean Up Australia Day has run as an annual event, in which as many people as possible are encouraged to pick up litter around their area. The idea is that if thousands of people contribute small amounts, the end result has a huge impact on the environment, as well as raising awareness and encouraging the public to avoid littering at all.
The initiative has since spread to other countries, with the Clean Up The World event.
Earth Hour
Another Australian-born green event is Earth Hour, which began humbly in Sydney in 2007 and has grown exponentially every year since. The event asks that as many people and companies as possible shut off their lights and/or electrical appliances for a full hour, around the world.
Earth Hour in 2012 saw more than 6,950 cities and towns, across 152 countries, go dark for the greater good. If one hour a year doesn't seem like enough, participants are encouraged to go Beyond The Hour, with the aim of creating more sustainable lifelong habits. This can include switching to organic foods, or using more environmentally-friendly products, like power-conserving LED lights.
London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics
It may not immediately strike you as a “green event”, but to its credit, the Olympics have strived to be as green and sustainable as possible. Planning of the London Olympics in 2012 included many steps to ensure the event's environmental impact was lessened. Prior to the Games, Achim Steiner, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was invited to London's Olympic Park to investigate their sustainability efforts. And he was impressed, noting the Committee's “efforts such as the greening of the supply chain, regeneration of an inner city area and bringing energy efficiency measures to local homes”.
The kinds of green actions exhibited in the planning of the London Olympics are likely to be adopted by future host cities.
Linda Campbell is a freelance writer, recently trying to become as green as she can with such a technology-focused profession. The use of automatic timers and power-saving LED lights through the house are good starting points.
With these five events you’ll be all set to create positive change and encourage sustainability around the globe.
Earth Day, 1970
Today, we take for granted that big businesses just can't pump out waste into the environment without attracting a lot of negative attention. That wasn't always the case though, and we can thank the original Earth Day in 1970 for that change. It was US Senator Gaylord Nelson who started the initiative, after witnessing the devastation of an oil spill. Environmental concerns were pushed onto the national political agenda, and the movement was supported by the public, from all walks of life.
It culminated in a day of protest and raising awareness for such problems, which became a tradition. Earth Day led to the founding of the EPA, and much of today's awareness of our culture's sustainability issues.
A Billion Acts of Green
More than forty years later, the Earth Day network acts as a central hub for organising green events around the world. Varying in scope and type of action, these Acts of Green can be submitted by individuals or organisations, to let people know what they are doing to help. It can be as small as one person riding a bicycle to work instead of driving, or as large as a company setting a special day in which all employees are encouraged to ride bikes to work.
As varied as they can be, the goals are the same: we need to raise awareness, learn to incorporate acts of green into our everyday lives, and send a message to people in power that we require swift political action on ecological concerns.
Clean Up Australia
Since the early 1990s, Clean Up Australia Day has run as an annual event, in which as many people as possible are encouraged to pick up litter around their area. The idea is that if thousands of people contribute small amounts, the end result has a huge impact on the environment, as well as raising awareness and encouraging the public to avoid littering at all.
The initiative has since spread to other countries, with the Clean Up The World event.
Earth Hour
Another Australian-born green event is Earth Hour, which began humbly in Sydney in 2007 and has grown exponentially every year since. The event asks that as many people and companies as possible shut off their lights and/or electrical appliances for a full hour, around the world.
Earth Hour in 2012 saw more than 6,950 cities and towns, across 152 countries, go dark for the greater good. If one hour a year doesn't seem like enough, participants are encouraged to go Beyond The Hour, with the aim of creating more sustainable lifelong habits. This can include switching to organic foods, or using more environmentally-friendly products, like power-conserving LED lights.
London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics
It may not immediately strike you as a “green event”, but to its credit, the Olympics have strived to be as green and sustainable as possible. Planning of the London Olympics in 2012 included many steps to ensure the event's environmental impact was lessened. Prior to the Games, Achim Steiner, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), was invited to London's Olympic Park to investigate their sustainability efforts. And he was impressed, noting the Committee's “efforts such as the greening of the supply chain, regeneration of an inner city area and bringing energy efficiency measures to local homes”.
The kinds of green actions exhibited in the planning of the London Olympics are likely to be adopted by future host cities.
Linda Campbell is a freelance writer, recently trying to become as green as she can with such a technology-focused profession. The use of automatic timers and power-saving LED lights through the house are good starting points.