Jorge Daniel Taillant es fundador de CEDHA y dirige su trabajo en glaciares y minería

Esta entrada también está disponible en: Spanish

 

International Mother Earth Day

Mother Earth is a common expression used in many countries and regions to refer to our planet, in order to demonstrate the interdependence of humans, other species and the planet we inhabit. For example, in Bolivia, they refer to “Pacha Mama”, and our ancestors in Nicaragua named her “Tonantzin”. The decision to declare April 22 International Mother Earth Day was intended to bring recognition to the fact that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with sustenance and support our existence. It also attempted to emphasize the responsibility we have, as explained in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth in order to reach a just balance between economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations. In June, 2012, world leaders met at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The conversations that took place there centered around two main themes: how to build a green economy to achieve sustainable development to lift people out of poverty and how to improve international coordination to achieve sustainable development.

(Source: http://www.un.org/es/events/motherearthday/)

Here are some actions you can take today on Earth Day, for the Earth!

1) Today, don’t use motor transportation, instead dust off your bike or decide to walk

2) When you leave the house, turn off the lights and unplug your appliances and chargers

3) Designate a box for recycled paper and start to use recycled paper to write on

4) Fix a leak in a faucet in your home or workplace

5) Today, don’t buy plastic bottles, and find one to reuse

6) Clean up a public space in your neighborhood, if it’s with the help of a neighbor, even better!
7) Buy rechargeable batteries and stop using traditional batteries
8) If you fill up your car with gas, make sure it’s the best quality
9) Today, don’t use plastic bags to take home purchases

10) Post about an environmental issue on a social network, explaining what you did from this list (use a hashtag like #EarthDay #Earth #Recycling #Environment)