Celebrated on April 22nd, Earth Day is a global event. It was started in 1970 by a US senator and environmentalist, Gaylord Nelson.
Due to the increasingly severe environmental pollution, he came up with the idea of having college meetings to highlight the importance of clean air and water and April 22nd was picked as a convenient date.
The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness about environmental issues via Earth Day activities and seminars and call on humans to love the Earth and protect our homeland.
Renewable energy plays a crucial role in today’s environmental protection. Due to the increasingly serious environmental challenges caused by gas and pollutant emissions, developing renewable energy has become a key way to reduce emissions and achieve carbon neutrality.
Solar portable power stations, as a form of renewable energy, provide a clean and sustainable energy solution. In this article, we are further going to discuss 5 top eco-friendly Earth Day activities that help you in protecting Mother Earth. So, let’s start!
Mission and Vision of Earth Day
Before moving to Earth Day activities, you can first understand the mission and vision of Earth Day to make sure you are aware of what change you can bring to the world.
1. Urgency of Environmental Protection
One of the missions of Earth Day is to raise people‘s awareness of environmental protection.
Over the past few decades, our planet has undergone huge transformations. It’s attributed to urbanisation, industrialisation, and quick population growth, all contributing to environmental degradation. Here are a few things that highlight the urgency of environmental protection:
● Loss of Biodiversity
The quick changes in our environment are leading to the loss of biodiversity. Various animal and plant species are either endangered or extinct worldwide. Especially in the UK, there are various endangered animal species like pipistrelle bats, starlings, adders, great crested newts, and hazel dormouse.[1] This necessitates the implementation of proper environmental protection.
● Climate Change
Climate change is another pressing challenge facing our planet today. Typically, it refers to the changes in temperature and other atmospheric conditions, primarily resulting from human activities like greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation.
The influence of climate change is far-reaching and severe. For instance, rising temperatures melt icebergs and glaciers, raising sea levels and putting coastal communities at risk of flooding and erosion.
In addition, it contributes to more frequent and intense natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts. This shows that immediate actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are required to stop climate change.
● Poor Water and Air Quality
Harmful chemicals released from industries, agriculture, and transportation pollute the air and water. This air pollution is really dangerous for people of all ages, especially newborn babies. Diseases caused by polluted air include pulmonary and heart diseases, lung cancer, and respiratory infections.
WHO data estimates that air pollution accounts for more than seven million premature deaths around the world every year.[2] Not only this, but polluted water also causes various health issues like diarrhoea, typhoid, polio, and cholera, requiring immediate preventive measures to stop this degradation in water and air quality.
2. Global Impact of Earth Day
Earth Day has a huge impact on the population worldwide. On April 22nd, every year, people around the world hold various activities to celebrate Earth Day. As per Earth Day Network, around 1 billion people from 192 countries mobilise for the cause.[3]
Earth Day serves as the best platform for raising awareness about various issues like climate change, deforestation, pollution, and biodiversity loss. For instance, on Earth Day, there are different events and seminars educating people about the alarming situation of our planet and how we can mitigate these risks.
Furthermore, Earth Day often lays the foundation for policy changes and sustainable practices. It’s a great opportunity to demand action from governments, industries, and communities to prioritise environmental protection.
3. How are Solar Generators a Solution for Environmental Protection?
Solar energy, a renewable and clean power source, is closely linked to the vision of Earth Day. This electricity is clean, and unlike traditional generators that run on fossil fuel, solar generators don’t release any greenhouse gases, such as products of Jackery.
Let’s look at a few environmental benefits of using solar generators for your electricity needs:
● Reduced Harmful Gases
As mentioned earlier, solar generators use the sun’s energy, which is totally clean. They don’t emit harmful gases like sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide. This allows you to contribute to reduced harmful gas emissions, ultimately preventing climate change.
● Conservation of Natural Resources
Traditional electricity generators rely on fossil fuels for power generation. These fossil fuels, such as natural gas, coal, and oil, are extracted through environmentally damaging procedures like mining and drilling that disturb natural resources and ecosystems.
However, this isn’t the case with solar generators. Solar energy is renewable and inexhaustible. You can easily capture it via solar panels without having to perform any heavy processes. This conserves natural resources and reduces habitat destruction.
● Minimised Water Pollutants
The pollutants released by traditional generators pollute the air, but do you know they also result in water pollution? The runoff from mining and drilling operations required for obtaining fossil fuels can contaminate water sources. Solar generators, on the other hand, don’t come with these issues, ultimately conserving marine ecosystems and protecting the environment.
Earth Day Activities
To help you bring a positive change to the environment and build a greener future, we have discussed some Earth Day activities given:
1. Community Cleaning
First and foremost, you can try community cleaning. Cleanups are fun and effective in contributing to environmental saving.
Community cleaning activities are usually initiated by volunteers, organisations, or government departments, with the aim of removing garbage from the community, including streets, parks, rivers, and other public spaces.
These activities not only contribute to improving the local environment but also raise residents’ environmental awareness.
For example, during Earth Day in Birmingham, you can pick up the garbage with friends, clean up advertisements, and promote environmental knowledge to residents, encouraging everyone to work together to maintain cleanliness.
2. Tree Planting Activities
Trees are saviours for this quickly deteriorating planet. They help absorb the CO2 gas. They absorb the carbon and release oxygen back into the air, which is important for human survival.
Statistics reveal that in one year, an acre of fully grown trees absorbs the same amount of carbon dioxide that is produced when you drive your car for around 26,000 miles.[4]
So, another exciting and effective Earth Day activity you can participate in is tree plantation. It’s pretty simple as you first need to choose your tree. The choice should be based on the climate of the location you want to plant it in and other weather conditions.
Then, dig a hole using a spade or fork. The hole should be as deep as the tree root ball, but keep it around three times wider.
Fill the hole with soil and do regular watering and mulching to make sure your efforts actually contribute to preventing climate change.
3. Beach Cleaning
Some people are irresponsible and throw litter all around the beach. This litter goes into the beach and will threaten the marine environment. So, one of the Earth Day activities is to clean the beach. Start by finding a nearby beach and see if there’s public access.
Then check the tide times. Because litter collects mostly at the top of the beach, choosing a low tidal time for cleanup can make things easy for you. Wear protective gear, like a swim jacket in case you go a little deeper in water, and protective gloves to avoid getting harmed by sharp litter.
Do proper cleaning, pick up wrappers, empty bottles, and other dirt and dispose of them off the beach. Choosing this activity from the various Earth Day activities not only keeps our beaches clean but also promotes a sense of community engagement and environmental responsibility.
You can also try nature walking activities with friends and the community to bring more awareness and portray a strong message.
4. Environmental Protection Promotion
One of the best Earth Day activities is focusing on promoting and raising residents’ awareness about environmental protection. For instance, you can find volunteering opportunities in London to organise workshops and events to educate people about how they can protect the planet.
Based on the various threats facing the Earth, you can guide them on how to start bringing small changes to protect the environment on Earth Day 2024. These may include planting trees or eliminating reliance on fuel generators.
5. Household Clean Energy Plan
Moreover, when you consider Earth Day activities, we suggest starting from your home. This means you should incorporate a household clean energy plan that may include:
- Investing in a solar generator
- Buying energy-star devices
- Using LED lights instead of traditional ones
- Try to travel by public transportation as much as possible
Who is Recommended to Use Solar Generators?
Solar generators or solar portable power stations are devices that utilise solar energy for power generation. Due to its clean, renewable, and portable characteristics, it is suitable for a variety of people:
● Environmental Advocates: Solar generators are suitable for environmental advocates who want to minimise their carbon footprint and encourage the adoption of renewable energy. They can also use solar generators to promote the advantages of clean energy in various environmental activities.
● Outdoor Activities Enthusiasts: Outdoor enthusiasts can use solar generators to power their hiking, outdoor grilling, and camping activities on Earth Day 2024.
● Research Team: If you are part of a research team working in remote areas, you can use a solar generator to power your fieldwork.
● Educational Institutions: Educational Institutions are also recommended to use solar generators to power their essential electronics and appliances and to raise awareness of environmental protection among students.
● Residents of Rural or Remote Areas: People living in remote areas where grid electricity is unstable and unavailable can rely on solar generators for continuous power.
Jackery Solar Generators Match the Earth Day Activities Theme
Choosing a reliable brand in the market can help you reduce many worries, such as Jackery being one of the most popular solar generator brands. Here are two of their best-selling models:
1. Jackery Solar Generator 1500 Pro
The first one is the Jackery Solar Generator 1500 Pro, which is an ultimate powerhouse for all your Earth Day activities needs.
This solar generator boasts a 1,400W solar power input, allowing for a remarkable 2-hour solar charging time when paired with 6 Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels.
Safety is always a priority for Jackery solar generators, and this product is a practical example. With an intelligent Battery Management System and eight temperature sensors, it ensures safe operation.
The outer shell of this generator is highly durable and meets the highest UL requirements. Moreover, despite the ample power output of the Jackery Explorer 1500 Pro Portable Power Station, it’s very lightweight at only 37.4 lbs.
Key Features
● Various charging methods, including fully charged in 2 hours via 6 Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels or AC adapter and 16.5 H via 12V car adaptor.
● Dual PD100W design, dual 1800W AC charging ports, 2 USB-C ports, and 1 car charger for charging up to seven devices simultaneously.
● After 2000 charging cycles, the battery capacity still maintains 70%, reflecting its long lifespan.
● 5-year long warranty.
2. Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro
Next on the list to power your Earth Day activities is the Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro. This exceptional generator delivers 2,160Wh of power, which is enough to power all your household and other appliances, promoting a greener culture.
It can easily be charged using 6 Jackery SolarSaga 200W solar panels in 2.5 hours or just two hours via an AC wall outlet. This ensures you’ve access to rapid charging wherever you go!
The Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro incorporates dual battery protection chips and four temperature-core detectors, providing safety and reliability. Its IP67 waterproof rating is perfect if you take it out in the harsh UK weather.
Moreover, its Jackery Explorer 2000 Pro Portable Power Station remains portable and user-friendly, weighing 43 lbs (19.5 kg) and featuring a foldable handle design. So you can carry it around without any hassle!
Key Features
● Massive 2,160Wh charging capacity for ample power supply
● Smart MPPT controller ensures efficient utilisation of solar energy
● Simple design includes input and output display screens for clearly reading fault code and low battery information.
● 5-year long warranty.
Conclusion
Earth Day 2024 is just around the corner, and you can participate in Earth Day activities. These include planting trees, promoting environmental protection, cleaning beaches and the community.
Opting for clean energy solutions like solar generators is a practical step. Jackery offers various solar generators, solar panels, and portable power stations. Contact them today to get your favourite product and make the most of the upcoming Earth Day.
References
[1] THE MOST ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN THE UK: UPDATED FOR 2022. Available at: https://www.ecologybydesign.co.uk/ecology-resources/most-endangered-animals-in-uk (Accessed: April 8th 2024) [2] Silent killer: How deadly is air pollution? Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/9/28/how-deadly-is-the-air-you-breathe (Accessed: April 8th 2024) [3] Earth Day. Available at: https://www.earthday.org/about-us/ (Accessed: April 8th 2024) [4] 22 Benefits of Trees. Available at: https://www.treepeople.org/22-benefits-of-trees/ (Accessed: April 8th 2024)
