Happy Earth Day!

What are you doing to celebrate Earth Day? I’ve given the pledge not to buy anything new for 2 weeks which will be a feat with 6 household members.  I’ve also given the pledge not to use chemical cleaning products for 4 weeks; bring on the lemons!

Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide.

More than 6 million Canadians join 1 billion people in over 170 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. Nearly every school child in Canada takes part in an Earth Day activity.

Environmental challenges abound as our daily actions pollute and degrade the fragile environment that humans and wildlife depend on to survive.

About Earth Day Canada
Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in 1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment. In 2004 it was recognized as the top environmental education organization in North America, for its innovative year-round programs and educational resources, by the Washington-based North American Association for Environmental Education, the world’s largest association of environmental educators. In 2008 it was chosen as Canada’s “Outstanding Non-profit Organization” by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication. EDC regularly partners with thousands of organizations in all parts of Canada. www.earthday.ca.

 Toronto (01/04/2011) – Earth Day Canada’s new action and commitment campaign is challenging Canadians to help create a healthier world by making simple changes to their daily routines. The Give it Up for Earth Day campaign launches today to kick off Earth month – www.earthday.ca/giveitup.

“For years we have promoted the importance of approaching every day with the same passion for addressing environmental issues that Canadians associate with Earth Day,” said Jed Goldberg, President of Earth Day Canada. “This campaign is another opportunity to reinforce the fact that Earth Day has always been about more than a day. It’s about developing the habits in our daily routines that will greatly lessen our impact on the environment.”

Participants can take part in the campaign by committing to one or more of four actions: cutting out toxic cleaners from your home; eating a vegetarian or vegan diet; buying nothing new; or turning off the TV. Participants can register their pledges on earthday.ca/giveitup and select a time commitment of one to four weeks.

“We hope the campaign will show that small changes can have a huge impact,” continues Goldberg. “In the end, pushing ourselves away from habits that are based on convenience and comfort allows us to grow individually as well collectively.”

The campaign website will have helpful information and resources such as recipes, personal stories and interviews, how‐to instructions, and printable prompts that serve as reminders to support people with their pledges. Participants who register their commitments will be eligible to win prizes that support long term eco-friendly habits.

In addition, Earth Day Canada staff will be adopting commitments and tracking their progress on the campaign blog. In May, Earth Day Canada will report the total savings results from the campaign.
The Give it Up Campaign is now accepting pledges until April 30, 2011.
For more information, visit www.earthday.ca.