What is Earth Day and how can I get involved in Sussex?

Earth Day is a chance to raise awareness about environmental issues and look at ways we can protect it.
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The official date for Earth Day is April 22 and although it started in the US in 1970, events across the globe now take place each year.

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The talk will bring together experienced specialists to discuss ways to heat and power our lives while safeguarding our planet.

Why not take a look around on your walk and do your bit to clear up litter?Why not take a look around on your walk and do your bit to clear up litter?
Why not take a look around on your walk and do your bit to clear up litter?

A special focus is on bringing together leaders from villages and councils across Sussex to discuss the best way to decarbonise rural villages by using a combination of technologies, such as heat networks, heat pumps, shared ground loops or solar power.

Aside from official events there are many ways you can get involved in Earth Day and encourage children to take part too.

Here are some easy activities you can do that will make a difference.

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Clean-ups - One of the main focus of this year’s event is cleaning up our environment. While recycling has become easier to do it is still a common sight to see litter scattered along our roads and parks. Perhaps on a walk you can pick up any litter you spot. You can even register your cleanup on the Earth Day website.

Gardening is a great way to teach your children how to care for a plant and keep it healthy.Gardening is a great way to teach your children how to care for a plant and keep it healthy.
Gardening is a great way to teach your children how to care for a plant and keep it healthy.

Gardening - Whether it is a window box, a vegetable patch or just a single herb plant, creating a garden is a great way to teach your children how to care for a plant and keep it healthy. Even better if you get to use the fruits and vegetables in a new recipe.

Meat-free Mondays - Everyone has a ‘foodprint’ - the environmental impacts associated with growing, transporting, storing and producing food. While vegetarian and vegan diets can help reduce your foodprint, you don’t have to give up your favourite foods for good. How about having a meat-free day?

Save energy and water - Ask your children to think about the energy and water being used at school and at home. How can we make sure we don’t waste energy and water unnecessarily?

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Take a walk - we are all used to going on family walks now but this time why not take note of all the different animals, insects and plants you can spot. Encourage younger children to identify where plants are growing, and where they are more likely to find insects, for example, under logs, stones or dark damp spots. Older children may be encouraged to think about the food chains they can see, leading to a discussion about biodiversity and what may happen if you took away a food source such as leaves and grass.

This year’s theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’.This year’s theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’.
This year’s theme is ‘Restore Our Earth’.

If you would like to access age appropriate resources you can contact PlanBee which has designed a Education for Social Responsibility curriculum which challenges children aged five to 11 to explore what climate change is and how it can affect not only humans but the world around us.

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