The hashtag to use on April 22 is #earthday because this is the date chosen all over the world to celebrate Earth Day; the event that involves more and more people and that reminds the world to take care of it, protect the environment and all its resources.
After all, the Earth is our home!
World Earth Day: its history
The birth of this day is due to John McConnell; a peace activist ecologist.
He argued that all men had the obligation to take care of the earth and share all resources equally and without diversity between countries.
In 1969, during the UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, McConnell proposed a day to celebrate the life and beauty of the Earth to promote peace and remind the world to preserve threatened ecological systems because life on the planet depends on them.
This proposal quickly received support and, on March 21, 1970, the first Earth Day arrived.
36 world leaders signed a document containing a list of principles and responsibilities and a commitment to care for the entire planet
It was Denis Hayes, the first coordinator of Earth Day, who made this event an international reality: after taking it to all American cities, he gave birth to the Earth Day Network involving about 180 nations.
The mission
Every year, hundreds of demonstrations and events are held on all continents.
One of the ambitious goals of this Day is to plant over a billion trees around the world and the anniversary, announced by the United Nations, was born with the intention of emphasizing that this is the only planet we have and that we must defend it.
Environmental education will help accelerate the adoption of laws and policies to protect the planet and the climate and the transition to a low-carbon society.
The events are used to raise public awareness on sustainability issues and propose concrete solutions.
Within the Earth Day Network, Italy is considered one of the best organizing committees so much so that, in 2015, the Italian organization became the European headquarters of the international network.
The role of agriculture
A fundamental role is reserved for farmers defined as the "guardians of the Earth" playing a vital role in preserving biodiversity.
When biodiversity is lost, farmers are the first to suffer, but they are also the first to reap the rewards when it is restored.
Organic agriculture is considered a concrete response to the environmental and humanitarian challenges of the near future.
With an increase in land converted to bio, food sustainability would also be ensured for many people.
A change that also leads to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the negative effects of excess nitrogen and chemical pesticides.
To obtain the important results for environmental sustainability, however, organic farming alone is not enough, in fact, a radical change is also needed in the attitude of end consumers who should learn to reduce food waste.
By implementing a series of changes, organic farming would end up playing a fundamental role in the sustainability that is increasingly necessary to ensure a future for our planet.
And what do you think? Do you think these Days can bring important changes?
Sources:
Homepage of Earth Day Network, www.eathday.Org/About/The-History-of-Earth-Day/ 2017
Jack Lewis; The spirit of the first Earth Day, EPA J. 16, 8, 1990.
A.Rome; The genius of earth day. Environmental History 15 (2), 194-205. 2010
