Earth Day 2020- Live and Online
April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, and we’d planned to make it a BIG one. Hundreds of organizations representing millions of people worldwide were planning a massive global strike.
The plan was awesome, and audacious: with the first day (April 22) focussed on protest and climate history; the second day (April 23) focussed on Stopping the Money Pipeline of investors, banks and insurers profiting off climate chaos; And the third day (April 24) as the biggest one day strike from school or work in global history.
Then, of course, came the pandemic. And we needed to keep each other safe by moving our action online and physical distancing. Which is why From April 22 to 24, young people and adults are coming together for a three-day live stream event focused on climate action.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed that we don’t get to hold the biggest all-out, in-the-streets day(s) of climate action in history. But it is still possible to take lots of action and make a lot of impact online. And as we’ve seen, fossil fuel profiteers, dirty politicians, and climate criminals have wasted no time in using the pandemic to push their agenda. So from April 22-24, it’s essential that we push back.
Can you join us? There’s 2 ways to participate:
- Click here if you’re a photographer, videographer, artist, musician, or have an existing affinity group or local action-team – sign up here to submit something (a song, a poem, a live-streamed one-person action etc) to be part of the 72 hour live stream at earthdaylive2020.org
- Everyone else, click here to sign up host your own earth day live event with friends. The Earth Day live team (including 198 methods) will be in touch to help you plan an event online, invite everyone to participate, and feature a couple of these local events each day as part of the 72 hours
Earth Day Live is a 72-hour live stream and online mobilization that aims to engage people across the country and the world in collective action to protect our climate and communities. Each day has a theme, and the live stream will include speakers, performances, and training sessions to keep you engaged, informed, and inspired. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.
Wednesday, April 22, is a day to demonstrate our collective power and unity through community building and storytelling. Originally a day of mass mobilization, we are leaning into healing and togetherness to provide comfort and inspiration during this time of unknown and are centering the voices of frontline, Indigenous, and POC leaders. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.
Thursday, April 23, we will target financial institutions across the country. Led by the Stop the Money Pipeline Coalition, this day of action will bring urgent public attention to the fact that banks, insurance companies, and asset managers are complicit in funding, insuring, and investing in the climate crisis. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.
Friday, April 24, we will focus on political change with a nationwide voter registration day. We need leaders who will address this existential threat, and for this to happen, we need people to show up at the polls this year. We will be holding a digital, relational voter registration challenge to see which region of the country can register the most voters, and call on elected officials to support our demands. Click here to stay engaged and learn more.As the 24th is the first day of Ramadan, organizers will be working with the Muslim community to make sure events are accessible for those who are observing and use it as an opportunity to educate people on the holiday.
Earth Day Live includes more than 350 partners, including 198 methods, who are working to amplify and mobilize around the strikes. While the strikes remain youth-led, we’re a part of a broader network that is truly collaborative, intergenerational, and intersectional.
As I said last September during the first global climate strike: this is the moment 198 methods was made for. The pandemic may have forced us to focus on the digital, as opposed to direct-action, parts of our mission; But nothing will stop us from taking action together to stop the climate crisis and building a more just, safe and equitable world for all.