DES MOINES, Iowa — April is Earth month, and April 22, 2024 marks the 54th Earth Day in the United States.
Though you've undoubtedly heard of it, some might not know the origins of the eco-friendly celebration and its environmentally-conscious goals.
What is Earth Day?
The very first Earth Day happened in 1970 and became worldwide in 1990. Now, it's one of the largest secular observances in the world.
Earth Day serves as a reminder of our collective responsibility to safeguard the environment, and it also serves as a time that many communities across the world get together to take part in things like clean ups or tree planting.
What is Earth Day's theme in 2024?
Every year Earth Day has a different theme, and this year's theme is Planet vs. Plastics. One of the goals created this year is to reduce the production of plastic by 60% by 2040.
Did you know that a plastic water bottle requires six times the amount of water to create the bottle than what the bottle actually holds? There are a lot of alarming facts about the U.S.'s plastic consumption.
While this sounds like something that wouldn't directly hurt you, it very well can. Plastics don't completely go away. They breakdown into microplastics, which are just extremely small pieces of plastic, with some not being visible to the naked eye. Even then, it takes years for plastics to breakdown into those microplastics.
Here are some common items that take a while to break down into microplastics:
- Plastic bags: 20 years
- Plastic straws: 200 years
- Plastic water bottles: 450 years
- Styrofoam: 500 years
- Fishing line: 600 years
Those microplastics from these items are starting to show up in the stomachs of fish and other wildlife. With microplastics showing up like that, the likelihood of you ingesting microplastics increases. There have been cases where microplastics have shown up in things like seafood, salt, beer, milk, rice and even sugar.
So how is all this plastic showing up in the middle of the ocean? The big answer is rivers. Over 1,000 across the world are responsible for transporting 80% of plastics into the ocean. The Mississippi River is one of them. In fact, the Mississippi River is responsible for transporting about 40% of the plastics in the country down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Earth Day celebrations in Iowa
If you want to get involved, there are several things you do or events you can attend. One way is to host or join local cleanups at public parks, rivers and lakes.
Volunteers of this cleanup, hosted by Confluence Brewing, will get a free tote bag and brew after the event.
- When: April 20, 9-11 a.m.
- Where: Gray's Lake Watershed
Hundreds of handmade glass eggs will be scattered across the park, waiting to be found. This fun egg hunt allows to you explore the park.
- When: April 20, 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Where: Water Works Park
Enjoy free admission to the Des Moines Greater Botanical Garden on Earth Day, the perfect place to get your fill of greenery.
- When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
- Where: 909 Robert D. Ray Drive, Des Moines
Interested in some homemade, eco-friendly items or hands-on outdoor activities? Earth Day Family Fun has it all.
- When: April 20, 10 a.m.-Noon
- Where: Raccoon River Park
How can I help on Earth Day?
If you don't make it out to the metro's various events, there are plenty of at-home changes you can make all year long.
One way to help the Earth is recycling. Hy-Vee has a drop off for your plastic grocery bags, newspapers and dry-cleaning bags. There are also several drop off locations around Des Moines for recycling if your home or apartment doesn't offer it. In fact, in Bondurant and Grimes, there are locations where you can get refunded for dropping off your bottles and cans.
Lastly, just using things like reuseable water bottles or coffee cups, or even reuseable bags helps decrease the demand for plastic products. While that seems small, it does make a difference.
These things don't have to happen only on Earth Day. These are things that can happen all year long! If you start making greener habits now, it's something that becomes easier as time goes on.