What Is Happening for Earth Day 2025? – GWC Mag

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd each year and can be a time to reflect on the beauty and significance of nature and our impact on the environment. Each Earth Day, there is a theme to call attention to an environmental issue or goal, to bring people together to inspire change when we all think of the planet.

Earth Day has occurred on the same day each year, April 22nd, since its first celebration in 1970, per Earthday.org. However, you may be wondering why April 22nd. Well, the date traces back to Senator Gaylord Nelson, a junior senator from Wisconsin who wanted to create a time to raise Americans’ awareness of emerging environmental issues, such as water and air pollution.

Senator Gaylord Nelson called on activist Denis Hayes and planned to target college campuses for teach-ins to inspire young activists to take action. April 22nd was chosen as the day for teach-ins because it was between Spring Break and Exams for colleges, increasing the likelihood of students participating, Earthday.org.

As of April 2024, the theme for Earth Day in 2025 has not been announced. In July 2023, a press release announcing the “Planet vs. Plastics’ theme for Earth Day 2024 was published, which means that the theme for 2025 could likely appear around the same time.

Earth Day themes call attention to an ecological issue or goal that we can take steps to fix, such as plastic pollution or deforestation. In 2023 and 2022, the theme was “Invest In Our Planet,” which called for collaboration between businesses, governments, and institutions to make choices and changes that put the planet first.

This included goals such as investing in further research, building networks between scientists, businesses, and community leaders, and also prioritizing reporting and publishing environmental and climate-change insights and discoveries, per Future Earth.

While the theme for Earth Day 2025 is still unknown, some things remain the same every year for Earth Day. No matter the theme, there are always actions you can take on Earth Day and every day of the year that bring us one step closer to a healthy planet.

• Walk or ride your bike instead of driving.

• Turning off lights when you don’t need them and when you are leaving a room.

• Opting for reusable bags, bottles, and utensils instead of plastic.

• Educate yourself about climate change and sustainability.

• Try to recycle and reuse items instead of throwing them in the trash.

• Start a garden of native plants to help the pollinators in your area.