The Billion Acts Earth Day Countdown

We are exactly 45 days away from the 51st Earth Day celebration!

Be sure you add your Acts to the Billion Acts Earth Day Campaign!!

Protecting the environment remains one of the core aspirations and issue-areas of the Billion Acts campaign. Billion Act's Laureates are among some of the most vocal voices for the well-being our global environment. His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a relentless advocate for international climate action. Indigenous rights activist Rigoberta Menchu is also a fierce defender of the world's ecosystems and the communities that protect them. 

Amidst a historic global health and economic crisis, the effects of unstable climates and ecosystems is as apparent as ever. No matter the obstacles, youth worldwide continue their advocacy for bold action and long-awaited justice for the Earth and all of her communities. Billion Acts laureates, finalists, and partners offer inspiration and action for all this upcoming Earth day. That is why we are counting down to Earth day- Billion Acts style. Join us for 45 days of action- inspired by Billion Acts members and fellow environmental leaders!

Find the full Countdown Campaign here! Make sure to add your acts for each day that you join us!

• March 8th: Calculate Your Carbon Footprint! We can never do anything without leaving some kind of a trace but we CAN reduce the amount of harm. How do your everyday choices contribute to climate change? How can you reduce your footprint? Find out with a footprint calculator! and these reductions tips! Feeling creative? Draw out your carbon reduction plan as an actual 'footprint'!

• March 9th: Can You Make the Change to Green Power? Renewable (or at least more clean) energy sources are becoming more accessible than ever! Use a resource such as EarthDay.org or TreeHugger to research how to start the process! It may be as simple as contacting your utility company.

• March 10th: Collect Air Quality Data as a Citizen Scientist! Use the Global Earth Challenge App to take pictures that help scientists measure air pollution! People worldwide are capturing images of the sky around them that are used to determine air pollution--using lightwaves!

• March 11th: Contact a Representative/Official to Urge Bolder Climate Action. Reach out to a local/national leader through an email or a phone-call. Let them know why we need stronger climate initatives now! If you don't have time today, then give your commitment to finish the process later here.

• March 12th: Tune into the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit by invitation of 2020 Billion Acts finalist Sophie Healy-Thow to learn "How to Incentivize Food Loss and Waste Reduction"

• March 13th: Join the PeaceJam Saturday Session "Protecting Our Land & Water" Great Lakes PeaceJam will be hosting a saturday session focused on land and water protector movements in the Great Lakes & beyond. Join us to learn how you can support indigenous nations and organizations in their work for environmental justice!

• March 14th: Download & Take Action w/ an Environmental Justice Toolkit. Climate change and environmental damage may impact us all but certain communities face a disproportinate amount of the harm. Download a toolkit from an organization such as NAACP. Seek out some more resources around environmental justice and intersectional environmentalism.

• March 15th: What is Your Eco-IQ? Take some quizzes on topics like environmental literacy and plastic pollution! These quizzes not only test your knowledge of the environment, but offer the resources to improve your scores.

• March 16th: Sign the Petition to Ban Styrofoam Containers, Single-Use Plastic Bags and Utensils. 2020 Billion Acts Finalist Madhvi Chittoor is petitioning the US government in order to reduce plastic pollution in our waterways and oceans! 

• March 17th: Get Outside and Connect with Your Surroundings. Spending meaningful time interacting with the ecosystems around you offers immeasurable benefits for your well-being. Set some time aside today to go for a hike, visit a park, garden, or simply sit outside for a bit. 

• March 18th: Unplug from Electronics & Social Media. Using electronics can be literally draining for your electricity and yourself. Try to use as few electronics as possible today and stay away from social media. While both have many benefits, sometimes some recharging is needed. If you are unable to completely "unplug" then try these tips for reducing screen time. 

• March 19th: Volunteer with a Local Forest Preserve or Environmental Organization. Around the world, setting aside protected spaces is common. Help is often needed to clean-up the spaces, clear invasive plants, collect seeds, and much more. Environmental orgs. are also often looking for volunteers to take on certain roles. Register to volunteer today or pick an upcoming time!

• March 20th: Find Out How Your Meals Impact the Environment. Believe it or not, global agriculture is one of the main contributors to climate change. The production and transportation of certain foods creates high amounts of carbon dioxide and habitat loss. Use a foodprint calculator to find out how your meals add up.

• March 21: Learn About Youth-Led Projects Around Water! 2020 Billion Acts Finalist Water Youth Network collects knowledge and on-the-ground projects around water on the Youth-Driven Knowledge in Water (YouKnOW) map and site! Have a project to add? You can join the network as well!

• March 22: World Water Day! Join an event near you to take action as well as to learn about water conservation and the right to clean water worldwide.

• March 23:Beautify Your Community! Host or Join a Clean-up! In the month of April, people around the world bring their communities' together to keep their environment clean. Find an event near you or create your own!

• March 24th: Join Fridays for Future to #fightforonepointfive! Many world leaders have failed to uphold their promise to combate climate change and to provide pathways to a 1.5 degree pathway. Let world leaders know that you are watching.

• March 25th: Find & Commit to a New Local Food Source. Purchasing locally grown food is one way to eat more sustainably. Click here to learn how to support local food-producers and reduce the environmental impact of your meals. Share your find on social media!

• March 26th: Sign the Petition for Climate Literacy Worldwide. If you believe that schools should teach climate and environmental literacy, then sign the global petition here!

• March 27th: Put the Spotlight on the World for Earth Hour 2021! For the first time ever, Earth Hour is completely virtual. Rather than turn off the lights, people will be sharing the same video worldwide for one hour. The goal is to make it the most watched video in the world on March 27th, focusing everyone's attention on our Earth. 

• March 28th: Learn About & Acknowledge the Indigenous Peoples of the Land. Indigenous peoples are vastly diverse yet often share some experiences in common-- they often have a vast knowledge of their local and global environment and many have lost stewardship over their land. Find out if you are on indigenous land and learn how you can support indigenous peoples and their knowledge. Try sites i.e. Cultural Survival, the Indigenous Environmental Network, and Terra Lingua.

• March 29th: Start to Practice Meatless Mondays! The livestock industry has contributed to widespread deforestation and pollution. Simply cutting out meat for one-day of the week can have a huge impact. Have some fun with these recipes!

• March 30th: Heard of Plogging? Get Some Exercise & Clean the Community at the Same Time! Do you love to run or walk? Combine your cardio routine with some activism by picking-up litter along the way (plogging)!

• March 31st: Pledge to Protect Pollinators! Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, birds, and bats are crucial for keeping our ecosystems healthy- and our bellies fed! Click here to commit to protecting these helpful friends. Feeling ambitious? Create a pollinator garden!

• April 1st: Try to Leave No Waste. Being zero-waste can be difficult. Luckily there are a number of ways to reduce the amount of waste that is created each day. See if you can go a whole day without leaving any waste and learn some tips!

• April 2nd: Figure Out Your Plastic Consumption. Many people have heard of carbon footprint calculators but did you know that you can calculate your plastic consumption as well? Plastic production and management is a drain on resources as well as a danger to ecosytems. Go here to find out what you need to improve on!

• April 3rd: Set Your Intentions for the Day While Watching the Sunrise. Get yourself up and out into the world early to watch the sunrise. Rigoberta Menchu believes in saying thank you hundreds of times a day- for the sun, the air, the earth... Take a moment to be grateful for the sun and the world this morning. Practice a meditation of your own or look into the Secret Sunrise movement!

• April 4th: WWL & BAOP Ambassadors Kick-Off! 2017 Billion Acts Finalist Harshwardhan Zala has partnered with Billion Acts for the World Without Landmines campaign. Weapons of war have a long-lasting impact on the land and the nearby communities. Landmines have a particularly long legacy of destruction. WWL is bringing together youth ambassadors to advocate for the removal of landmines and restoration of natural spaces for regenerative agriculture. Join us for the kick-off to learn more!

• April 5th: Host a Watch Party for an Environmental Film! Bring some friends together for one of the many incredible documentaries around the environment. You can find a large collection of documentaries at the One Earth Film Festival!

• April 6th: Learn from the Billion Act's Laureates. Spend some time learning from our Nobel Peace Laureates' perspectives on the environment. Please share any videos, quotes or articles that you connected with! We've compiled some videos and readings to help you out! 

• April 7th: Embrace Regeneration, Protect Your Mental Health. Climate anxiety is a growing symptom of the climate crisis. For those taking action, the responsibility of climate advocacy and action can be especially stressful. Just as we hope to make life-affirming and regenerative cultures/ecosytems, we also want to take care of our mental health. Click here to learn some tips and then share your favorites!

• April 8th: Start a Compost Bin to Prevent Food Waste! Compost bins may be a little smelly, but they have a wonderful array of purposes. Alongside lessening your amount of food waste, they also provide rich and healthy soils for gardens! Get started!

• April 9th: Help Scientists Track Plastic Pollution. Bring out your Global Earth Challenge app again because we're learning a new skill! Today, start to track plastic pollution as a citizen scientist!

• April 10th: Start a Conversation Around Climate Change. Sit down (or talk on the phone) with a friend or a family member about climate change. Productive and respectful conversations are needed for us all to collaborate around the solutions. Watch this video for some tips and check-out this site for some guidance!

• April 11th: Show Support for #YouthvGov! The United States is one of the largest polluters in the world. Billion Acts finalist Youth v. Gov features twenty-one US youth who have taken legal action against the US government over their right to a safe environment. Today, make sure to take one of these actionsto support their work!

• April 12th: Artivism-Create & Share Art or Poetry About an Environmental Issue. Billion Acts team-member and songwriter Noa Zimmerman is on a mission to encourage more acts of Artivism, or the use of art to further social/environmental causes. We would love to see the finished poems and artpieces!

• April 13th: Be fashionably sustainable! The fashion industry generates a high amount of carbon dioxide each year through the process of manufactoring and transportation. At the end of their lifecycle, discarded clothes continue to harm the environment. It can take over 200 years for clothes to decompose in a landfill!  Find some time today to donate / repurpose old clothes or find some ways to dress sustainably!

• April 14th: Plant a Tree or Donate to a Reforestation Project. Forests are a vital part of global ecosystems and the carbon cycle. We owe a lot to trees-- oxygen, carbon sequestration, shelter, and so much more. Commit to restoring our world's forests by finding a place in your yard/community for a tree-planting or donate to an organziation such as Plant for the Planet or the Earth Day Canopy Project!  Billion Acts finalist Plant for the Planet supports climate justice worldwide through reforestation projects. At the Canopy Project, even a $1 donation can plant a tree!

• April 15th: Use Only Reusable Bottles or Cups. If you already have a reusable bottle, make sure to put it to use for the day. Otherwise, find a reusable bottle and commit to using it whenever possible.

• April 16th: Take Action to Reduce Plastic Consumption in Your School. Billion Acts finalists such as Genecis Lab Industries are working hard to reduce plastic pollution and create a circular economy. Do your part by learning how to reduce single-use plastics used by your school or university!

• April 17th: Check the Label of Your Household Items. Look for cleaning products that are non-toxic and environmentally sustainable! Write down the names of any products that are not environemntally safe as a reminder.

• .April 18th : Start a Garden or Volunteer at a Community Garden Gardens are a great way to connect with the land and your food. They also reduce many of the harms caused by non-local or unsustainably-sourced foods. Whether you are an experienced green-thumb or a novice, you can find the right resources to get the gardening season started! If you do not have the space or resources for a garden, join a local community garden. Billion Acts youth such as Cheyenne Sundance are ensuring that all people can sustain and empower themselves through gardening/farming. 

• April 19th: Check out the Environmental Justice Atlas. Search through the Environmental Justice Atlas to learn about cases of environment-based injustice worldwide. Do some research on one of the cases and share on BillionActs and social media.

• April 20th: Join the Global Youth Summit! Earth Uprising, My Future My Voice, OneMillionOfUs, and youth activists such as Greta Thunberg wll be hosting a worldwide summit to discuss the climate crisis and create a list of demands for the world leaders at the Biden Admnistration's Climate Summit.

• April 21st: Tune-In for the “Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit. " Education International will be hosting this event alongside international activists who are committed to increasing climate and environmental literacy across the globe

• You can join one of the many events listed on EarthDay.org!   Interested in joining an Earth Day teach-in, citizen science project, art project,...? There are so many virtual and socially-distanced events for you to join this Earth Day! You can also host your own event!

April 22nd: EARTH DAY!!  Let us know all the actions you take each day in support of Earth Day on the Billion Acts Campaign page!!

About the author: Jill Runkle is an avid protector of the Earth and all the people and animal communities it supports. She has been a PeaceJammer & Billion Acts member for over ten years. Currently she is working on the Billion Acts team while finishing her degree in Global and International studies and Nonprofit Leadership. While she is active across several issue-areas, the Protection of the Environment is one of her most enduring passions. She believes that the affirmation and connection of life and culture is the foundation for all positive movements, not just the environmental-based.