We are four months into 2024. How’s your New Year’s Resolution going? According to various polls, 30-50% of Americans set New Year’s Resolutions. The most common resolutions are improving fitness, finances, mental health, weight, and diet. These resolutions aim to improve one’s life but their impact may ultimately become negligible if we do not make a concerted effort to celebrate Earth Day every day as a society.

The first Earth Day was a grassroots effort spearheaded by Senator Gaylord Nelson which achieved the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the eventual enactment of America’s most fundamental environmental legislation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and many more. This was the result of approximately 20 million volunteers gathering on April 22, 1970. Not companies, not the government, not somebody else, but 20 million individuals, like you and me, that cared about a cause. Our nation faced rivers on fire, catastrophic oil spills, and factories lawfully spewing toxic smoke and waste into the air and water. Today, even with the EPA and more closely monitored environmental regulations, we face a climate emergency which threatens to make our planet uninhabitable for humans unless we all join together to take action, inspiring 100% involvement in this vital commitment.

Earth Day is on Monday, April 22. We should reflect on our achievements over the past 54 years, but also decide how to further the mission of those 20 million volunteers to solve the “most important challenge the human species faces on the planet” (Gaylord Nelson). Sticking to your New Year’s resolution may improve an aspect of your life right now, but is there also an action you can commit to on this Earth Day that will improve yours and your community’s lives far into the future?

At the CCRCD, we provide opportunities for you to take action in your community. Do not hesitate to email me or any other staff member with questions about how to get involved and/or join us at our upcoming volunteer events, which you can learn about on our Events Webpage.

Thank you to the Contra Costa County Watershed Program for being the primary funder of our Earth Day events.