Know Your PlanetSophie EspositoApril 2021Comment

Earth Day 2021

Know Your PlanetSophie EspositoApril 2021Comment
Earth Day 2021

Earth Day 2021

The first Earth Day was 22nd April 1970, chosen to fall between spring break and final exams so as to best engage college students. The purpose of Earth Day is to raise climate change awareness and to mobilise an environmental movement. Up until 1990, Earth day was celebrated in the US only. Since then, it has spread and is now celebrated in more than 190 countries. The ground-breaking publication of Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ in 1960 shed light on the effects of pollution on public health and led to concerns about pollution and climate change. This, together with the disastrous oil spill in Santa Barbara in 1969, triggered Senator Gaylord Nelson to announce Earth Day and just a year later it was being celebrated all around the US with an estimated 20 million people taking part.

WHAT TO WATCH

Netflix

  • Our Planet A Netflix series, each episode is around 50 mins, this series focuses on wildlife and the effect of climate change on natural habitats.

  • David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet 1hr 23 mins, follows Sir David Attenborough’s life documenting nature and the extinctions he has witnessed during that time.

  • A Plastic Ocean 1hr 40 mins, focuses on our obsession with plastic and the effects this has on our oceans.

  • Mission Blue 1hr 40 mins, is about the effects of overfishing on our oceans and touches on oil spills as well. It follows the life and works of Sylvia Earle who is a marine biologist and has worked in the sea all her life.

BBC iPlayer

  • Seven Worlds One Planet 1hr episodes, focussing on the seven continents and the broad range of wildlife that is unique to each place.

  • Extinction: The Facts 1hr, another Sir David Attenborough documentary, follows the effect of extinction on the whole planet and the importance of biodiversity.

  • A Perfect Planet 1 hr episodes, is a simple way to sit back and appreciate the beauty of the planet.

WHAT TO LISTEN TOO

BBC Sounds

  • Witness History: Earth Day 9 mins, is about the history of Earth Day and how it started

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  • The Infinite Monkey Cage around 40-50 mins, a series of podcasts relating to Planet Earth, including Coral Reefs, Clever Creatures or The Future of Humanity.

Spotify

  • BBC Earth podcast is perfect to listen to for an appreciation of our planet. Just pick an episode and go.

  • Climate Crisis podcast playlist is a collection of podcasts that deal with the subject of global warming.

WHAT TO READ

  • This Changes Everything: Capitalism V’s the Climate Naomi Klein £10.49 - £12.99

    Klein focuses on how capitalism benefits from climate change and how going forward capitalism will continue to encourage climate change.

  • The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History Elizabeth Kolbert £9.00 - £11.04

    A book about how the current habits of humans are causing the sixth extinction.

  • Silent Spring Rachel Carson £7.99

    It makes sense to read the book that inspired the creation of Earth Day.

  • Draw Down: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse Global Warming Paul Hawken £13.77- £18.99

    A comprehensive list of solutions to the problem that prove that we have the means to end climate change.

  • What we Know About Climate Change Kerry Emanual £9.75

    This book investigates how human activity has caused climate change.

  • Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming McKenzie Funk £7.00- £13.00

    The book goes into the details of how and who is profiting from global warming.

  • Climate Justice Mary Robinson £7.39- £9.99

    A call to arms arguing that climate change is a feminist issue.

WHAT TO DO

  • Wash your clothes on 30?. We do not often need to wash our clothes on a hotter wash; washing at higher temperatures uses a lot more energy.

  • To avoid wasting energy, unplug what is not in use. Things like lamps, toasters, microwaves, kettles and chargers. If you are not using it, why not switch it off at the plug.

  • See what you can fix instead of replacing it with something new; this can be repairing holes in clothes and socks, dying clothes that have stains or cropping that top so you wear it more.

@Sophiee.espo