By Niall Houston and William Angus
22nd April 2022
As April 22nd marks Earth Day for the world, what exactly is Earth Day? And do students at Strathclyde University know about it?
Earth day is an international event which aims to educate and activate environmental movement from people across all societies and countries.
The first ever Earth Day was held in 1970. Since then, the event has grown, and now in 2022, Earth Day is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in over 192 countries.
Earth day aims to create positive action, calling on individuals to make a difference to their community and their consumer habits. It is really all about celebrating planet Earth and exploring innovative ways to help preserve it.
Each year there is a theme for Earth Day. This year’s theme is ‘Invest In Our Planet’. Earth Day 2022 calls on individuals to petition and tell government leaders, and those in power, to invest in a sustainability revolution.
There is also a dedicated push to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to keep the global temperature below 1.5°C, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.
Rising Clyde went out into the Strathclyde University campus to discover what students knew about Earth day and what they were doing for it:
Students and young people are one of the main target audiences for Earth Day, meaning it is vital for campaigners to reach these people in order for the event to be a success.
It was clear many students were unaware that it was Earth Day. Most of them also declared they were not going to do anything for the event.
The ‘Invest in Our Planet’ theme from organisers is not reflected in the public’s knowledge of Earth Day and it is likely some of the messaging is lost on the general audience.
If you want to get involved, there are various events taking place around Glasgow for Earth Day.
Find out more about Earth Day on Twitter (@EarthDay) with regular content on what you can do to help spread the message.
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