By Amanda Balgaard
Volunteer with MN350’s Communications Team

Earth Day happens every year on April 22, and it’s one of the most widely celebrated secular holidays in the world; this is a holiday that honors and celebrates our common home! It lands on a Thursday this year, but the whole month of April is a great time to learn and engage in community activities around the world that focus on climate justice and protecting our planet.

Explore virtual events:

Get involved in your own neighborhood:

  • Neighborhood cleanup picking up trash on your block or nearby park
  • Donate to reforestation organizations like The Canopy Project, which is a global organization that plants one tree for every dollar donated, but there are state and local organizations that plant trees as well
  • Consider your energy consumption (see if your energy company provides green energy options, reduce energy consumption in your home, and use alternative modes of transportation that avoid fossil fuel consumption)
  • Research what kind of climate legislation is coming up. The Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy is calling for a Next Generation Climate Act that looks at updated science and recommends aggressive action to halt climate change. Minnesota’s last big climate legislation, Next Generation Energy Act, was passed in 2007.

Take some time to make your Earth Day 2021 plans this year before these great events pass by!

Amanda Balgaard lives in Minneapolis with her husband and their two cats. She enjoys finding majestic trees to admire, tracking the lunar phases, writing poetry, and singing along to the music playing in the grocery store.