Earth Day... Invest in our planet on 22.04.2022 by KVK Wyra

Earth day is celebrated annually on 22nd April every year and the theme for 2022 is “Invest in our Planet” to focus global attention on the need to protect the environment, restore damaged ecosystems and live a more sustainable life. This annual event on April 22 demonstrates its support for environmental protection by one billion people from more than 193 countries. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honour the ‘Earth’ and the concept of peace, to first be observed on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General of United Nations. A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach in on April 22, 1970. A young activist Denis Hayes along with Senator Nelson renamed the event as ‘Earth Day’ Denis and more than 20 million people poured out on the streets to celebrate the first Earth Day. The first Earth Day was focused on the United States. In 1990, Denis Hayes, the original national coordinator in 1970 made it international and organized events in 141 nations. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by 120 other countries. This signing satisfied one of the key requirement for entry into force of the historic climate protection treaty draft adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in one of the largest online mass mobilizations in history. KVK, Wyra celebrated Earth Day with 48 farmers, students and KVK staff. The meeting was attended by Dr. J. Hemantha Kumar, Programme Coordinator, scientists Dr. Jessie Suneetha W, Dr. V. Chaitanya, Dr. K. Ravi Kumar and Mrs. P. S. M. Phanisri. An awareness program on ‘Save Soil’ was organised and the participants were created awareness on importance to respect and care for animal and plant life, natural resources and their habitats. The simple ways to help protect the earth include the Reduce, reuse and recycle materials and cut down on what is thrown away, maintain the surroundings clean with not just the households but at community level too, educate people of need for saving earth, conserve water, choose sustainable products, shop wisely, use long-lasting light bulbs and plant a tree. The ill effect of destroying the earth can lead to food shortage as the lands become barren and the oceans become fishless. The loss of biodiversity as whole species of living things disappear due to deforestation and increased pollution will affect our health. The rising temperatures may be too much for all living things on the planet to survive destroying all as such.