2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Earth Day celebration. Since it was established in 1970, Earth Day has become the biggest environmental celebration worldwide, bringing to light issues such as marine and air pollution, biodiversity and forest conservation. This year, Earth Day celebrations will be focusing on the challenges and opportunities in combating climate change.
With the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions set by the enhanced community quarantine, environmental groups and organizations have been preparing celebrations for Earth Day to take place online. With this, here are some of the ways you can celebrate Earth Day from the comfort of your own home.
Watch a documentary
One of the easiest ways to learn more about various environmental issues and how we can contribute to solutions is by watching a documentary. There’s a selection of documentaries that people can easily access online, and organizations around the country are helping inform more people by holding watch parties of documentaries on pressing issues that our country faces.
As part of their Earth Day celebrations, Save Philippine Seas and Danjugan Island will be holding a watch party of the “Dark Seas” episode from the “Night on Earth” docuseries. The organizations will begin the synchronized playback this Wednesday, from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. through the Netflix Party web extension.
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Danjugan Island will also be hosting livestreams of the sunrise and sunset at the island through their Facebook accounts. They will also be hosting a watch party of the camps and cleanup events that have been held on the island.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_KR1d0nWBv/
World Wide Fund for Nature – Philippines will also be hosting watch parties on CNN Philippines’ documentaries “Going Green” and “Ted Turner: Captain Planet” on Apr. 14 and 26 respectively. These documentaries focus on the people who are looking for eco-friendly innovations and ways of life.
And finally, we’ll be keeping the #EarthDayPH spirit alive throughout the week with a watch party on CNN Philippines' documentary: “Going Green,” playing on April 24, 8:00pm. There will be a follow-up watch party for “Ted Turner: Captain Planet” on April 26, 7:00pm. 🐼 pic.twitter.com/ivFiOfoplD
— WWF-Philippines (@WWF_Philippines) April 21, 2020
Another watch party you can catch is one hosted by Muni PH, who will be holding a synchronized playback and discussion on “The Story on Plastic.” The documentary discusses the effects of plastic pollution on ourselves and the environment through animations and archival footage from the 1930s.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_RboLtBat_/
Join seminars
Another way you can learn more about our planet while staying at home is by attending a web-based seminar. Environmentalists and experts have been doing their best to inform people on our environment’s current situation, and for this year’s Earth Day they will be coming together to engage and hold discussions on how people can contribute to positive change.
The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative – Philippines will be holding a series of web-based seminars on topics like wildlife conservation and protection and environmental sustainability. Their first seminar, which will be held tomorrow, discusses how the pandemic affects the ocean and how people can help marine conservation efforts while in quarantine.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_H_6s8hmbL/
Danjugan Island will also be holding the “Marine and Wildlife Camps” webinar series. The seminars will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, giving participants the opportunity to hear from environmentalists and learn more about how their experiences can help improve the country’s conservation efforts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_KTd6PHi84/
Attend an online concert
Part of the fun of Earth Day celebrations is witnessing artists and their fans come together to support environmental efforts while sharing their talents through commemorative concerts. Since the implementation of the quarantine, artists have been holding online concerts as a way of promoting causes and gathering donations to help fight against COVID-19—and most of them will be doing the same during Earth Day.
Gabay Kalikasan, PLDT-Smart’s environmental protection program, will be holding the third wave of their “Earth Day Sessions” online concert. On Apr. 22, they will be hosting performances by Johnoy Danao, Ebe Dancel and Bullet Dumas as a way of promoting sustainability efforts.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_MfgZIhyUi/
Header photo by Noah Buscher on Unsplash
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Writer: ANGELA PATRICIA SUACILLO
