So, it’s Earth Day, and you’re wondering how to use your powers for the good of Mama Earth, not just today but every day of the year. Consider this your call to action to get your hands dirty in protecting the environment.

Earth Day is the perfect time to set your earth-loving resolutions for the year! It’s like New Years Day for citizens of the earth when we set our actionable goals and envision sustainable steps forward in our climate-conscious lives.

There’s some mighty power behind Earth Day and the advocacy it sparks. So far, we’ve seen the passage of monumental environmental laws in the U.S., including the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. And since the ’70s, millions of Americans have mobilized each year on Earth Day, and this movement has snowballed into the planet’s largest civic event.

We all do our gosh darn best to support the protection of our environment and our community by building more ethical and sustainable habits into our everyday lives. Sadly, many of the giants we fight stay strong in their nasty habits and disingenuous corporate promises to reduce environmental impacts without enough momentum.
As Denis Hayes, Earth Day Founder put it, “Despite that amazing success and decades of environmental progress, we find ourselves facing an even more dire, almost existential, set of global environmental challenges, from loss of biodiversity to climate change to plastic pollution, that call for action at all levels of government.”

“SO TELL US, How do we get involved locally on Earth Day and every day ?” Okay, okay, no dilly-dallying, here we go:

• Sign the Plastic Free President petition to urge President Biden to take major action in the first year in office, in addition to the ten steps proposed by #ClimatePresident.
• Join the monthly “Love Your Mother” letter-writing campaign hosted by Ethos Santa Cruz (@ethossantacruz) and Klara (@sustainability.student) on
• Instagram Live on the last Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. PST.
  Participate in a beach cleanup on your own or through the Save Our Shores Marine Debris app.
• Listen to planet-wise podcasts like “How to Save the Planet” with journalist Alex Blumberg and scientist and policy nerd Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.
• Choose bike or foot over car where possible. Every time you make this choice, you reduce your carbon footprint.
• Read a revolutionary environmental book from the Ethos Lending Library, Santa Cruz Library, or your local bookstore.
• Watch an interesting and educational documentary, like this one, “A Plastic Ocean,” “The Blue Film,” and “The Story of Stuff,” or sit down with a family-friendly film with environmental themes such as “Princess Mononoke.”
• Donate to an environmental organization like Plastic Pollution Coalition to help work toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impact on humans, animals, waterways, the ocean, and the environment.

Remember, you vote with your wallets, and the choices you make for yourself with friends and family affect the way they see the world. Join us in finding ways big and small to make a positive impact. Go forth, sweet climate caretakers!