How to Raise Earth Day Awareness

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Raise Earth Day Awareness

The power of the conservation movement and Earth Day hinges entirely on collective efforts. A single person cannot recycle the world's plastic bottles, and he cannot plant enough trees to make a marked difference. You need to raise Earth Day awareness in your neighborhood to extend the reach of your work.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Work with student organizations at a local university to raise Earth Day awareness among future leaders. Major universities typically have multiple organizations dealing with organic living, conservation and environmental advocacy.
Step 2

Volunteer at a local school on Earth Day to educate children about Earth Day. You can work with fellow parents to present fun information about protecting the environment.
Step 3

Submit letters about Earth Day to the editor of every print publication in your community. You should look for articles focused on environmental issues in these publications to help frame your letter writing. You may find more of these articles at the end of February.
Step 4

Speak with hosts of public-radio shows to promote Earth Day awareness throughout the community. Radio hosts on public stations usually have open lines at least once a month for citizens to voice their opinions.
Step 5

Rent out space for an information booth at community events to raise Earth Day awareness. You can use your neighborhood organization to get information out at parades, fairs and outdoor events with a high amount of traffic.
Step 6

Spend your time working with a wildlife habitat in your region to raise awareness about the environment. You can supplement your efforts by showing visitors the effects of environmental damage.
Step 7

Participate in tree, shrub and flower planting in your community throughout the year. These events give you the opportunity to speak with fellow citizens about the environment and give the general public an example of what can be done to celebrate Earth Day.
Step 8

Create a permanent neighborhood organization to raise Earth Day awareness every year. Your neighbors can get together monthly to establish a calendar of volunteer events and special campaigns leading up to Earth Day.
Step 9

Pick up information packets from state and federal environmental agencies. The Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and state conservation agencies feature educational programs to help citizens mobilize for Earth Day (see Resources below).

Comments

sullysee said

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on 6/15/2009 Inspirational article. Overly ambitious for most, but many great ideas can be gleened and put into action.

heatherinks said

on 4/21/2009 My comment got cut off - so here is the rest! With 365 days per year and an average adult lifespan of 55 years (65-10 years - kids can make adult decisions at this point, yes, they really can if we give them the freedom and responsibility), you could impact 20,075 people in a lifetime! Look at the impact of Jesus, Paul (formerly Saul), Martin Luther (the first one), Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, etc. One is a powerful number - there is a great song out about this called the Power of One by Israel Houghton. If you pick up just 5 extra cans from the side of the road where you jog to recycle them for a lifetime (365 days per 55 years - my grandfather did this and he inspired my environmental consciousness) then in a lifetime you can pick up 100, 375 extra cans to recycle. That is a lot of cans, ONE person is POWERFUL. NEVER NEVER FORGET THAT!!!! With that said, if one person planted

on 4/21/2009 Great tips. However, ONE person CAN make a HUGE difference. One person can actually plant enough trees in a lifetime to make a difference. And one person thought up Earth Day - then with help of more individuals, now it is recognized. When I was in elementary school, I was not allowed to join the HSUS due to being under 18. So I made my own organization, then focused on getting 1 representative in every state to grow the organization, and I accomplished this and helped with the movement of environmental awareness in late 80s and early 90s. Back then being green was not cool - I was made fun of, ostracized, and even threatened. However, look at things now. There is great power in the power of 1 person - look at Mother Teresa - he goal was to make one person feel loved per day and she asked others who "wanted to help" to do the same. With 365 days per year and an average adult lifespan of

tiffanykei said

on 4/21/2009 My sister is the type that won't allow hairsprays in her house. No plastic bag for her at the groceries and please be considerate when brushing your teeth with the water running. She'll be angry. :D This would be a great article for her. Thanks!