April 22, 2020 was the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day. PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania had planned many events to commemorate the momentous anniversary. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put those plans to rest. In response, we organized a virtual Act For Our Earth Challenge. Participants that signed up for the challenge received one meaningful action in their inbox for each day in April. Most actions only took ten minutes or less, while more involved actions included educational webinars or films. If you missed any of our actions, they are all listed below. 

Day 1 - Fight back against EPA rollbacks

• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will be waiving enforcement of our environmental laws throughout the duration of the COVID-19 crisis. Sign this petition to tell the EPA that its environmental protections are critical.

Day 2 - Register to Vote!

• Voting is arguably the most important way to make your voice heard on environmental issues. Check your voter registration status here. 

Day 3 - Sign our thank you message to Gov. Wolf

• Governor Wolf vetoed a terrible bill that would have provided uncapped tax credits and sparked a build-out of petrochemical plants in Pennsylvania. Click here to thank him for his veto. 

Day 4 - Ask Your Legislator to #ActOnClimate

• Contact your elected officials and demand they #ActonClimate.

Day 5 - Check out our environmental book recommendations

• Check out great environmental books like The Overstory by Richard Power, No One is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg, and for the kids check out Greta and the Giants by Zoe Tucker (author) and Zoe Persico (illustrator). Email your thoughts and suggestions to dinicola@pennfuture.org.

Day 6 - Post a Pic of Your Favorite Park!

• Show your appreciation for our natural spaces by sharing a photo of your favorite park, nature spot, or outdoor area in Pennsylvania. Tag your photo on social media with #ActForOurEarthPA. Or email your photos to info@conservationpa.org.

Day 7 - Watch the “Solve Climate by 2030” Virtual Teach-In

• The recording and slides for this presentation can be found here. 

Day 8 - Who motivates you to act for the Earth?

• Share your story about who motivates you to act for our Earth by commenting on our Facebook post or emailing info@conservationpa.org

Day 9 - Learn to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle Correctly

• Learn more about the waste hierarchy and the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle by looking at a resource like this. Email mehrazar@pennfuture.org if you have any questions. 

Day 10 - Urge Senator Toomey to protect nature

• Ask Senator Toomey to support the Great American Outdoors Act. 

Day 11 - Boost awareness about Earth Day by writing a letter to the editor

• Take the time to write a letter to your local newspaper about why environmentalism is important to you. Email mehrazar@pennfuture.org if you have any questions. 

Day 12 - Calculate your plastic use

• Find out how much plastic you consume so you can keep reducing plastic waste. 

Day 13 - Watch a conversation with Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania Executive Director Josh McNeil

• You can watch the conversation here. 

Day 14 - Sign the 30x30 Nature Petition

• Sign this petition now to urge our leaders to protect 30% of the nation’s land and ocean by 2030.

Day 15 - Make an Earth-inspired Piece of Art

• Spark your creativity while connecting with the "Earth" around you. One great way is by following the activity in Sarah Urist Green’s new book, You are an Artist – Assignments to Spark Creation. Share your creation on social media or email dinicola@pennfuture.org. 

Day 16 - Share one thing you do or want to try to live more sustainably!

• Tell us one thing you do or want to try to live more sustainably! Either by leaving a comment on our Facebook post or emailing info@conservationpa.org

Day 17 - Watch the Celebrate Clean Water webinar!

• Guests included Secretary Cindy Dunn of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Executive Director Collin O’Mara of the National Wildlife Federation and more. You can watch the webinar here. 

Day 18 - Invite Three Friends to Join Us!

• Be sure to encourage friends to join PennFuture and Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, so that they can stay informed of the latest environmental developments in Pennsylvania. (And follow us on your favorite social media site!) 

Day 19 - Watch Our Volunteer Advocacy Webinar

• We held an informational overview of various ways you can get involved in environmental advocacy. You can watch the webinar here and download the PowerPoint presentation here. 

Day 20 – Watch the Youth Climate Strikes

• You can review the national livestream here. And you can watch the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Climate Strike presentation on Pennsylvania legislation here. 

Day 21 – Watch an Earth Day conversation with PennFuture’s President and C.E.O. Jacquelin Bonomo

• You can watch the conversation here. 

Day 22 – Call Your State Legislators

• Tell your elected officials that protecting the environment should be their top priority. Visit this page to find your state legislators, click through to find contact information for his or her office, then make your call! Email info@conservationpa.org to let us know who you called.

Day 23 – Watch Plastic Wars

• You can view the PBS Frontline/NPR documentary here. 

Day 24 – Commit to environmental justice

• Learn more about environmental justice by reading this article. Email mehrazar@pennfuture.org if you want more information.

Day 25 – *Safely* clean up outdoors

• Head outside with protective gear to clean up the area around your house, local trail, or while on a walk. Post a pic online with #ActForOurEarthPA!

Day 26 – Sign up to vote by mail

• Sign up to vote by mail and ask 10 friends to do it too!

Day 27 – Identify environmental justice communities in your area

• Use the EPA’s EJSCREEN tool to identify environmental justice communities near you. Email mehrazar@pennfuture.org if you have any questions. 

Day 28 – Check out our run for office webinar

• Here are the slides for the webinar. Email katie@conservationpa.org if you have any questions.

Day 29 – Give sustainably

• Take the next step and become a member of PennFuture and Conservation Voters of PA

Day 30 - Celebrate the conclusion of Earth Month

• We gathered to have a celebratory happy hour and to thank you for all of your actions. Please email Jess Cadorette, PennFuture's Field Director (cadorette@pennfuture.org) with any additional comments or suggestions.