It’s the end of the term as we know it! As we continue to stay safe during these unnerving times, it will be a time to pause and reset. A time we can use for realigning our values and relationship with the Earth. Reciprocity is the only way we will have a sustainable future. Let’s encourage each other to look at our environmental impact and pledge to make a difference by driving systemic action that demands change for our planet. On April 22nd, Earth Day celebrates its 50th anniversary. This year’s theme is climate action, and the Earth Day Network has online resources ready to flood the digital landscape with action that will inspire you to take part. Bring Earth Day to your online classroom, make EARTH RISE!
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020, millions around the world are expected to take digital climate action to combat some of the greatest challenges facing humanity. Every individual, community, and school has an important role to play in this event. As we shift to online learning, Earth Day Network is here to support you with a variety of engaging climate, civic, and environmental education resources that you can access from home. Dig into the 2020 Digital Teach-In Toolkit for a step-by-step guide on how to hold an online environmental teach-in. Earth Day Teach-ins throughout 2020 can play a significant role in providing communities with the knowledge they need to advocate for a cleaner, more secure future. Use the toolkit to plan an effective teach-in that will bring your community together and build capacity to make change! Watch the introduction to the teach-in model on Prezi Video for you and your students.
This monumental anniversary presents a key moment for you to engage your learners with high-quality environmental education resources and inspire them to take action. Use Earth Day Network to engage your students in lessons about major scientific achievements, groundbreaking environmental policy, setbacks from contamination to extinctions. Your students can influence the achievements of tomorrow by adding their own actions and dreams for a healthy world! On April 22, tune into Earth Day Live. The world’s largest civic event is going digital for the first time in its history. Demanding world leaders take science seriously, listen to their people and push for action at every level of society to stop the rising tide of climate change. We can make a better world for everyone! Tell everyone you know about Earth Day and join at earthday.org as we flood the world with messages of hope, optimism and, above all — action!
No matter where you are, the health of the environment will have an impact on your students’ ability to accomplish their goals. As educators, you can empower your students to develop the skills, optimism, and resolve to be stewardship leaders of the planet and take on modern challenges such as climate change. Earth Day isn’t just a day; it’s a movement that provides the foundation for growth throughout a lifetime. Your school has the potential to make impactful changes for the earth, and you have the potential to lead the way. Check out Environmental Education digital resources that help accomplish this goal. Browse their collection of games, activities, and lessons for all ages, including a menu of Earth Day at Home ideas, Earth Day quizzes, and online resources from a number of organizations!
While we collectively take action as individuals to bend the curve and reduce the spread of coronavirus, we cannot lose sight of the bigger picture — our global climate crisis. The intrinsic connections between human health and planetary health sparked the first Earth Day in 1970, and today, we must rise to meet these dual crises again as Earth Day marks 50 years. In the face of a challenge that forces us to stay apart, engage your class in citizen science using Earth Challenge 2020, a free mobile app. Citizen science is a meaningful way to engage students in the scientific method, contribute to meaningful research, and demonstrate real-world applications of learning. Using the app, students can collect and share data on air quality and plastic pollution from or around their home. The class can then use lesson plans to explore these topics further by understanding what their data means and how to address these issues. Join the Earth Challenge 2020, to take action right now, and every day, for our planet. #EarthDay2020 #EARTHRISE.