A few weeks ago, environmental advocate Sandra Steingraber wrote a piece about how Earth Day needs to take a lesson from Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
“…I am willing to view Earth Day, with its picnics and downloadable craft projects, as an opportunity for serious conversation. Not all ignorance is willful. Sometimes people don’t know about the history of a problem simply because no one has yet bothered to explain it to them in an unscornful way. I was once an 18-year-old who had never heard of the Freedom Riders or the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments. Surely, there are students walking around now who have not heard the basic news from my field of study. How the oceans make half of our planet’s oxygen supply. How insect pollinators provide us one-sixth of the food we eat. How cancer rates among young adults are rising and sperm counts falling. Earth Day offers me the chance to talk about this evidence.”
Read the full article here.
So why not spend today thinking about what Earth Day means to you and how can help save Mother Earth. And if you need some inspiration, our speakers are here to help:
So why not spend today thinking about what Earth Day means to you and how can help save Mother Earth. And if you need some inspiration, our speakers are here to help:
- Annie Leonard: Writer/Director of The Story of Stuff, Annie Leonard is an expert in international sustainability and environmental health issues.
- Dr. Edith Widder: Biologist and deep-sea explorer Edith Widder combines her expertise in research and technological innovation with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of degradation in our marine environment.
- Dr. Robert Bullard: Named Environmental Leader of the Century by Newsweek, Robert Bullard is considered the father of the environmental justice movement supporting diverse environmental health issues, water quality, urban sprawl, and toxic dumping issues in disenfranchised communities.
- Captain Paul Watson: Star of Animal Planet’s hit show Whale Wars and founder of The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Captain Paul Watson is a dynamic and passionate speaker on conservation and environmental issues.