Earth Day Everyday All About Earth Day Join Ocean Blue Project

Let us rewind to the 1960s when three pivotal events took place: Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring had been published, the Santa Barbara, California oil spill just happened, and less than half a year after the oil fire on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio occurred. These events and many others led people to prioritize the environment, raise awareness, and make their voices heard.

Carson’s masterpiece, Silent Spring, explained the harmful effects chemical pesticides — a large part of agriculture in the United States — had on the planet. She detailed how pesticides such as DDT made their way up the food chain — from killing bugs to birds to even sickening children. This book played a crucial part in raising awareness regarding environmental deterioration.

Both disasters garnered plenty of media coverage, which was uncommon with previous events. People saw first-hand the damage from these environmental disasters from video footage and photographs taken in Santa Barbara of oil-soaked birds, deceased fish, and blackened beaches ridden with oil.

The second incident occurred five months later in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland was one of the oil refining centers in the United States, and its waterways were constantly in use. The Cuyahoga River oil fire only lasted for 30 minutes; however, within those 30 minutes, there was plenty of media coverage — even Time magazine covered the disaster.

Who Started Earth Day?

In 1969, with inspiration from the anti-Vietnam War teach-ins, taking place across college campuses in the United States, Senator Gaylord Nelson was one of the leaders to develop Earth Day. He was ready for change. At a conference in Seattle, Nelson spoke about the concept of Earth Day and invited everyone to get involved.

A young activist from Stanford named Denis Hayes had been selected as the national coordinator for Earth Day. Hayes worked alongside student volunteers and staff members from Senator Gaylord Nelson’s cabinet to make Earth Day a success.

Local communities and hundreds of schools fueled by pure passion led to the massive number of participants on the first Earth Day in 1970. Over 20 million people across the United States raised awareness to process our planet.

Earth Day Theme for 2024

Today, Earth Day is celebrated by over 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.

As we keep talking about how to take better care of our environment, Earth Day  has chosen “Planet Vs Plastics” as the Earth Day theme for 2024. This theme points out a big problem we need to solve to keep our Earth healthy, especially our oceans, which are getting filled with plastic. That’s where Ocean Blue comes in – it’s a vital project that’s leading the way in cleaning up our oceans at the source.

Ocean Blue uses simple and innovative solutions with help from communities to tackle the problem of plastic pollution in the sea. Ocean Blue isn’t just about getting rid of the plastic already in the ocean; we also work on ways to use less plastic, avoid greenwashing, and teach people how important it is to keep our oceans clean.

By doing this, Ocean Blue is helping make our planet a better place to live, with cleaner water and a happier environment. As Earth Day 2024 arrives, everyone’s looking at Ocean Blue as an important example of how we can fight against plastic pollution and protect the beauty and health of our oceans together.

In the ever-evolving dialogue surrounding environmental conservation, the theme Planet Vs Plastics for Earth Day 2024 underscores a pivotal battle at the heart of preserving our planet’s ecosystems. With the ocean bearing the brunt of plastic pollution, simple and innovative solutions are not just necessary; they are imperative. Enter Ocean Blue, an action-oriented initiative at the forefront of combating plastic pollution in our oceans. Leveraging simple innovations and community-based cleanup efforts combined with long-term change driven by values-shaping youth education, Ocean Blue epitomizes the solution to one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our age.

By focusing on reducing plastic waste, checking narratives around recycling, and educating communities, Ocean Blue is not just fighting against plastic pollution; it’s paving the way for a healthier planet and a sustainable future. As we approach Earth Day 2024, the spotlight on Ocean Blue highlights an urgent and actionable response to the Planet Vs Plastics theme, calling to attention the critical role that innovation and collective action play in preserving the beauty and vitality of our oceans.

What would it look like for the Ocean if we all offset our plastic use and invest in a clean world ocean? What if we all give $1 in Earth Day donations to Ocean Blue for every 5 pounds of plastic we use – so Ocean Blue can recover five pounds for every $1? How much less plastic would that look like for marine wildlife that call the ocean home?