A guide to Earth Day and why it matters

It was prompted by an enormous oil spill that occurred fifteen months earlier in the Santa Barbara channel, which is still the largest oil spill ever off the California coast. As a result of national protests, the US Environmental Protection Agency was formed in late 1970.

Over the years, Earth Day has become increasingly important. In fact, the 50th anniversary in 2020 was the largest online mass event in history. Can we beat the record this year?

Last year, the focus was on Planet vs Plastics. We joined the call to demand a 60 percent reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

The theme for this year is Our Power, Our Planet, asking everyone around the world to get behind renewable energy and triple the global generation of green electricity by 2030.

Moving to renewable energy is one of the biggest things we can do to help fight the climate crisis. It also lowers air pollution, preventing serious lung and heart diseases. Renewable energy is also the cheapest power option in most parts of the world and helps to create jobs for local people.

Switch to Ecotricity’s 100% green energy – All our electricity is made from the sun and wind. What makes us different from other energy companies, including the ‘green’ ones, is that we’re not-for-dividend. Instead, we use the money from our customers’ bills to build new sources of green energy - “Bills into Mills”

Swap four wheels for two – Ditch the car and get on your bike to reduce air pollution and your personal carbon footprint. Walking and taking public transport are other great options. The transport sector is the second largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, pumping out 8 billion metric tons into the atmosphere each year.