Earth Day is an important celebration of our planet that many schools don’t always stress after elementary school. Not only does Earth Day allow students to be thankful for our planet and its resources, it also spreads awareness on the issues of global warming and climate change. With the incorporation of this holiday, schools can once again inform students of the importance of maintaining our planet, and that the day is not only a celebration, but a call to action.
As students transition into high school, less attention and time for dedicated lessons on them is spent on recognizing global holidays such as Earth Day. There isn’t always time to focus on issues other than the assignments and lesson plans already set in motion for the day. If the holiday involves an important enough issue, it would be beneficial to dedicate a portion of the class period to discussing that issue and acknowledging what it means for students. High schoolers would enjoy a return to the elementary school tradition involving celebration of smaller holidays, as it can be both educational and interesting.
Valerie Bailey, Physical Science and AP Environmental Science teacher at GCHS agrees that lessons centered around Earth Day can be beneficial.
“I believe Earth Day is a very important event bringing awareness of our environment to everyone. We are all living on this earth and using its natural resource. I really would love to see ALL students take an environmental science class to see what all is involved in the environment around them, where their food and clothing comes from, and how bad practices are affecting the land, animals, and people of this earth. Students can also learn how they can contribute to sustain and improve their environment.”
There are many ways to incorporate the holiday into lesson plans when April comes around, giving students more opportunities to be informed about the issues it presents and to be involved in the cause.
Bailey stated, “Many of the social studies, history, and science classes could easily fit in a lesson around their current curriculum to spend part or all of a class period on Earth Day. All teachers can tell their students how Earth Day benefits everyone, and how we are all responsible for making things better. This is a great time of the year to even get outside and just observe our outside environment. The internet has several lessons or ways to celebrate and bring awareness.”
Senior Anna Murphy is an advocate for environmentalism and lover of the Earth Day holiday. “I have always grown up traveling with my grandpa and family, so from a young age I was exposed to a lot of nature, especially in National Parks,” Murphy said.
Murphy called to light the significance of celebrating the planet and human responsibility to maintain its beauty, remembering that it not only serves as pleasing to look at and experience, but also to keep humanity as a whole alive and prospering.
“Now that I’m older and can travel a lot more by myself, I have so many opportunities to go to cool places, and Earth Day is a reminder of how beautiful, yet fragile, our planet is,” Murphy stated. “So many people take for granted that our Earth keeps spinning every day, and that we are able to sustain life on this planet and enjoy all the wonders that exist on it. I love that more people are starting to use Earth Day to raise awareness or do good acts for the planet so that we can hopefully mitigate some of the human impacts that are altering the natural beauty on Earth.”
When it comes to the responsibility of maintaining the planet’s resources, students can do their part to contribute to the much larger cause of eliminating threats from climate change and global warming. Learning about Earth Day not only educates students, but spreads awareness in farther reaches than just the classroom.
“Spreading awareness can be as easy as just pointing out certain activities, like littering or using plastic bottles, that people may not even notice they’re doing. Just a simple reminder that all the little actions have big consequences and can go a long way. Also, educate yourself! My favorite class of all of high school has been AP Environmental Science, and even though I thought I knew a lot going into the class, I have learned way more about the human impacts on the planet, and now I can change my own actions to do my part in helping the planet,” Murphy said.
A huge part of keeping things green and promoting a healthy planet is being aware of personal ways to contribute where others have lacked; which means picking up trash, being aware of carbon footprints, and watching electricity usage.
“In order for us to sustain these very important resources and continue to use them for generations to come, we need to take care of all that we have around us. That includes taking care of our green spaces and our water supplies, conserving our resources (water, energy, etc.), recycling and reusing any products and packaging we can, and combining trips and transportation,” Bailey informed.
There is no better time than now to start being active in communities to promote maintaining the environment and caring for the home shared by all. Rather than focusing on making a social media post for Earth Day, one can inform oneself about the care and keeping of the planet taken for granted to better show support, with effort and compassion to guide the way.
