Earth Day - 22 April
EarthDiverse welcomes Earth Day, an annual event on 22 April that celebrates and demonstrates our support for environmental preservation and protection on a global scale.
A bit of history: 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 be held on 21 March 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by UN Secretary General U Thant. A month later, US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on 22 April 1970, and hired Denis Hayes to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event "Earth Day". Denis and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire US. More than 20 million people poured out on the streets, and the first Earth Day remains the largest single-day protest in human history.
In 1990, Denis and others made it international and organised events in 141 countries. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the US, UK, China, and 120 other countries. This signing satisfied a key requirement for the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. On Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is being referred to as the largest online mass mobilisation in history.
Join us in celebrating and protecting our amazing home, our Mother, Planet Earth. It’s the only one we have!
Poll: Would you commute by public transport if it was free?
Using your car is convenient, except for finding parking.
Cycling lets you leave anytime, but you might arrive soaked.
So, neighbours, if public transport had the perk of being free, would it be your main way to commute?
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67.6% Yes
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29% No
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3.4% Other - I'll share below
Who Can Solve It? Bet You Can’t Guess Today’s Answer!
Turn me on my side, and I am everything.
Cut me in half, and I am nothing.
What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for gooseberry?
Love gooseberries? Share your favourite way to enjoy them. We're looking for our readers' favourite family recipes for this delicious crop. Send yours to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the magazine, you will receive a free copy of our December 2024 issue.
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