Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day

Founded in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations strives to improve lives. More specifically, they encourage sustainable agriculture initiatives to help ensure food security now and in the future.

From farmers to retailers to your kitchen table, there are a number of people involved in the sustainability of a food system. As a collective, it’s important to establish patterns that help support the environment and economy.

As a consumer, you can contribute to sustainable food systems with a few everyday choices. When you eat diverse foods, you help promote soil health. When you buy produce that’s in season, you reduce your carbon footprint. And when you purchase products grown or produced nearby, you support your local economy.

Visit fao.org/world-food-day to learn more about healthy and sustainable food systems.

October Featured Product

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Celebrated in Brazil since 1850, Amazon Day commemorates the creation of the Province of Amazonas, later the State of Amazonas. Brazil’s largest state, it consists primarily of rainforest land.

Beyond Brazil, the Amazon Rainforest extends into Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guiana, a French territory. Home to millions of plant and animal species, including jaguars, pink dolphins, poison dart frogs, and black spider monkeys, it’s an environmental cornerstone. It also provides a home to and resources for over 30 million people.

Instead of logging, mining, and overall land conversion, the Amazon longs for conservation efforts. The rainforest’s many trees store carbon, helping to stabilize surrounding climates. But deforestation can release this carbon, contributing to global warming. It can be said that the health of the Amazon is critical to the health of our planet.

Visit worldwildlife.org to learn how you can help protect the Amazon.

September Featured Product

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Did you know that ten percent of the world’s 1.8 billion young people live in conflict zones? And 24 million of them no longer attend school? Connecting with today’s youth and developing meaningful conversations can help prepare tomorrow’s adults and ensure their success.

Established in 1991 during the United Nations’ first World Youth Forum, International Youth Day is an opportunity to bring attention to key issues facing today’s youth and celebrate their voices in society. This year’s theme, Youth Engagement for Global Action, addresses the importance of engaging young people for the greater good.

The 2020 celebration will take place online with podcast-style discussions, spoken word artists, and other creative elements. Leaders of the initiative are encouraging youth engagement at the local, national, and global levels.

Visit un.org to learn how you can help support young voices in your community.

August Featured Product

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Tigers are so much more than the intimidating orange and black cats we see at the zoo or on TV. As the top predator in their food chain, tigers help balance populations of prey and serve as the keystone of their ecosystem.

Since the start of the 20th century, the world lost over 95 percent of its tiger population. As of 2010, only 3,200 tigers remained. Though they thrive in areas with lots of land across various environments, including grasslands, forests, and mangrove swamps, many are threatened by habitat loss and poaching.

A project known as Tx2 is looking to increase protection for these animals, maintain their habitats, and boost resources to ultimately double the number of wild tigers by 2022. The World Wildlife Foundation is helping raise awareness for the project.

Visit tigers.panda.org/tx2 to learn about the importance of tigers and how you can help support this endangered species.

July Featured Product

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The health of our oceans directly impacts the health of our planet. But the two are increasingly threatened by climate change, ocean acidification, and industrial fishing. That’s why doing our part to protect and restore our world’s waters is imperative.

Each year, an estimated 12 million tons of plastic enter the ocean. And every minute, one truckload of trash has the same fate. It gets caught in ocean currents and impacts areas far beyond the place it was disposed of.

As part of the global movement for World Oceans Day, organizers are calling for increased protection for our planet. Their hope is that by safeguarding at least 30 percent of our world’s land and oceans by 2030, we can preserve biodiversity, including populations of endangered species. This will not only help prevent irreversible damage but ensure a healthy home for years to come.

Visit worldoceansday.org to find out how you can take action and help preserve our oceans.

June Featured Product

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Turtles and tortoises are worth celebrating. They exist in all shapes and sizes, are one of the oldest reptile groups in the world, and have one of the longest animal lifespans. Their shells, made of bones and cartilage, are part of their skeleton. This outer shield grows with the animal, providing protection against predators. But more than 40 percent of tortoises and freshwater turtles are at risk of extinction, threatened by habitat loss, the illegal pet trade, and consumption.

In 1990, Susan Tellem and Marshall Thompson founded American Tortoise Rescue, an organization that helps protect and find homes for turtles and tortoises. Since then, the nonprofit has found families for 4,000 of them.

Tellum and Thompson later started World Turtle Day to help raise awareness about the need to protect these animals. They stress the importance of not buying turtles or tortoises from pet shops because it decreases their population in the wild.

Visit worldturtleday.orgfor more tips on how you can lend a hand.

May Featured Product

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The first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, wasn’t a celebration. It was a protest. Americans demanded a better future for our planet. This unified call to action sparked the first environmentally conscious legislation of its kind and continues to inspire lawmakers today. In 2016, Earth Day was chosen as the signing date for the Paris Agreement, a commitment to strengthen the world’s response to climate change.

Every year since its inception, Earth Day has been used as a platform to raise awareness and inspire change. With heat waves, melting sea ice, and rising oceans becoming increasingly problematic, it’s imperative that we protect our planet, one that sustains and gives life. This year’s theme led to an initiative called “The Great Global Cleanup.” During the month of April, people were encouraged to help collect trash from local beaches and parks. But there are so many more ways to do your part.

Visit earthday.org to learn how you can join the movement.

April Featured Product

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Water is essential to human survival, supporting the production of food, goods, and services. But global warming is putting stress on the water cycle and our environment in the form of floods and droughts.

Twenty of the last 22 years have been the warmest on record. And when temperatures are higher, evaporation rates are higher. This leads to an increase in precipitation or, conversely, risk of drought. Scientists have noticed that precipitation events are occurring in isolated spurts instead of consistently throughout the year, impacting the agricultural industry.

That said, it’s important to effectively monitor and manage our water supply. Unless we limit our production of greenhouse gases, rising temperatures will continue to impact the Earth’s natural processes, threatening our water and food security.

Visit earthday.org to determine your carbon footprint and learn how you can do your part.

March Featured Product

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Polar bears are found in the United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway. They call the Arctic home and rely on sea ice to raise their young and hunt seals. But global warming is resulting in less sea ice, causing concerns about long-term survival.

These snow-white bears are strong swimmers, but their abilities are being tested. To find food or reliable resting places, they have to swim to shore or travel long distances in deep waters. Neither option promises a consistent food source or safe travel for weaker bears.

Scientists consider habitat loss and access to seal prey a primary conservation concern. It’s predicted that two thirds of the world’s polar bears could disappear this century. And with fewer than 20,000 polar bears left in the Arctic, time is running out to save them.

Visit polarbearsinternational.org to learn how you can help preserve polar bear habitats.

February Featured Product

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NASA, founded in 1958, began as an outlet for planetary exploration. But as new knowledge surfaced about changes to the Earth’s climate, they broadened their focus. This led to a revised version of the Space Act, adding “the expansion of human knowledge of the Earth” to NASA’s roles and responsibilities. It also led to the Global Habitability Program, which later became Mission to Planet Earth, as well as the Global Change Research Program.

In the early 1990s, NASA began the Earth Observing System (EOS), a series of satellites designed for long-term observation and collection of climate data. This includes monitoring solar activity, sea level rise, and atmosphere and ocean temperatures. NASA scientists are still gathering valuable climate data and, as we learn more about our changing planet, they’ll continue to play a critical role.

Visit earthday.org to learn how you can help measure and track air and water quality.

January Featured Product

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