When Is Earth Day and How Can You Celebrate It?

Here’s how you can play an active role in celebrating a worthy cause

Every year, the whole world comes together and celebrates Earth Day. But did you know that its history dates as far back as 1970?

The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. That makes the global environmental movement five decades old. More than the milestone of being around for such a long period of time, Earth Day reminds us of the urgent need to save the environment for present and future generations.

When is Earth Day?

Earth Day 2022 falls on April 22 (Friday). In preparation for this year’s celebration, here are various ways you can contribute to saving Mother Earth. It doesn’t matter how small or big of an effort you make—what’s important is that you’re playing an active role in celebrating a worthy cause.

What Can You Do to Make Earth Day Count?

Support environmental groups in the Philippines

Whether or not you want to focus on a specific aspect of the environment, like marine life or wildlife, you can be part of environmental groups that commit themselves to making the world a better place.

You can opt to do volunteer work for Save Philippine Seas, for example. This is an organization that brings together all sorts of social groups, including private individuals and corporations, NGOs and government agencies, to protect and conserve marine resources. 

Alternatively, why not sponsor one of the projects by the World Wide Fund for Nature? You can purchase cute panda merchandise, with sales to be used by the organization to fund a variety of programs, from wildlife, livelihood and the environment.

You can also go on a forest-saving mission with Globe via GCash Forest. Each time you use your GCash app to buy load, send money, pay bills and so on, you can get rewards points you can use toward tree planting activities spearheaded by Globe.

Make Earth Day activities at home

Saving Mother Earth doesn’t always have to involve grand, hero-level achievements. Even at home, you can make a considerable difference by engaging in these Earth Day activities.

• Recycle your plastic bottles by turning them into fun creative items like piggy banks, pencil holders, planters and sprinklers, and other DIY crafts. “Hire” young assistants to help you clean and paint your plastic décor, which can be great Earth Day activities for kids.

  
  Once you’ve recycled the plastic bottles in your household, commit to giving up single-use plastics. Replace them with local eco-friendly products to help you reduce your plastic waste.
  
  

• Want to make the most of the Earth Hour switch-off? Enjoy a romantic candle-lit dinner while the lights are out.

  
  

Practice “greener acts”

When it comes to being a responsible, eco-conscious member of your community, keep in mind that consistency is key.

For starters, why not create a makeshift water recycling system? It can be as simple as using a pail to catch rainwater or water droplets from your room’s air-conditioning and then use whatever you have collected for watering house plants.

Or, the next time you’re scheduled to do your supply run, bring along reusable shopping bags. Although most groceries and supermarkets have shifted to paper bags, they can still accumulate waste over time. Thanks to local sustainable living brands, it’s now easier to avoid disposable products and bring an eco-friendly lifestyle into your home.

RELATED: These Merchants Prove Sustainability Is At The Heart Of Filipinos

Do spring cleaning at home

You've probably had your share of spring cleaning in the last several months as you followed stay-at-home orders in your community. Just don’t forget to include e-waste (like old, defunct mobile devices) in your next round of spring cleaning.

These are just some ways you can make a personal effort to reduce your carbon footprint as a consumer. Make the days that follow Earth Day count for something, too.