Earth Day 2020: 50th Anniversary Goes Digital With a Global Conversation About Environmental Action
Ohio Wildlife Center extends our care and concern for everyone in our community during this challenging time. Our main goals are to keep our staff and animals safe while keeping our Wildlife Hospital doors open for the thousands of patients we will receive over the coming months.
“Nature is sending us a message. If we don’t take care of nature, we can’t take care of ourselves. We need to go into this future armed with nature as our strongest ally.”
–United Nations environment chief, Inger Andersen
First Ever Digital Earth Day Debuts April 22, 2020
Because of the current global COVID-19 pandemic, Earth Day has had to adjust to a new reality. For the first time, we can’t safely gather in our neighborhoods and communities for our traditional Earth Day activities and celebrations. But the spirit of Earth Day continues with creative programs and projects delivered digitally across the globe.
Global organizers of Earth Day 2020 have unveiled the first-ever Digital Earth Day. This online mobilization planned for April 22 will mark 50 years since an estimated 20 million people gathered and demanded greater protections for the planet. The digital events, detailed at www.earthday.org will include concerts, online teach-ins, and social media campaigns with the hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE.
On April 22, you can participate in Earth Day Live. By connecting to Earth Challenge 2020, you can read the fascinating history of the first Earth Day in 1970 that launched the modern environmental movement. By joining EARTH CHALLENGE 2020, the world’s largest citizen science initiative, you can sign up to receive educational materials, view exciting artwork with Earth Day themes, plus much more.
The enormous challenges – but also the vast opportunities – of acting on climate change have distinguished the issue as the most pressing topic for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Climate change represents the biggest challenge to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.
Think Globally, Act Locally
Since the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, we recognize more and more each day how interconnected humans are with the planet we share. We are connected to each other, and we are connected to all the other species that share the planet.
At Ohio Wildlife Center, we bridge the gap between people and animals every day as we rescue and rehabilitate native Ohio wildlife at our hospital, educate our community about our precious natural resources, and provide solutions for living in harmony with nature through SCRAM! Wildlife Control.
Mother Teresa famously said, “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.” As we approach Earth Day 2020, we ask our friends and supporters to continue doing small things with great love, as we need your acts of kindness and thoughtfulness now more than ever.
We are entering our busy spring season at the Wildlife Hospital under the heavy burden of additional safety concerns and without our treasured volunteers. Here are a few ways you can help in your backyard:
- Go on a wildflower hike and learn about what you find – Ohio Wildflowers
- Celebrate around your neighborhood and spend time with your family outdoors:
- Host a backyard bird count and list the visiting species you see
- Set up a water source in your yard for animals this summer
- Go on a neighborhood ”litter hunt” and collect harmful plastics and trash
- Turn off porch lights and bright outdoor lights to make it safer for birds during spring migration
Donate to help care for one of the 300 new patients we expect this week at our Wildlife Hospital!
We look forward to seeing and thanking everyone in person soon. In the meantime, we send our sincere thanks and wish you a Happy Earth Day!
