April 2020
The past month, the world has seen a wave of changes with the rapid spread of the pandemic COVID-19. We’re wishing everyone the best as we navigate a new reality. A special thanks to all Medical Center staff for your hard work and dedication at the front lines of this crisis.
This April, we’re marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the international day to honor the planet. While many traditional celebrations have been canceled, altered, or rescheduled due to social distancing protocols, we’ve spotlighted some of the ways Earth Day is still being celebrated.
Earth Day
(Photo: Unsplash/Elena Mozhvilo)
Every year on April 22, Earth Day “marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970,” according to earthday.org.
Earth Day is now celebrated worldwide and this year’s theme is climate action. Climate change is one of the most serious issues facing humankind and the world as we know it. The actions that we take will ensure the future of humanity and the species with whom we share this planet. Together, we can help keep planet Earth habitable.
Marking Earth Day 2020
NASA Earth Day Countdown
NASA is counting down the days to Earth Day 2020 by displaying how it has used its unique view from space to better understand our planet. The countdown blog displays new and historic views of Earth from space and features information about clean water, the women of NASA’s earth science division, photos of Earth taken by astronauts, and more.
Ecochallenge.org
Ecochallenge.org encourages each of us to celebrate Earth Day by signing up for challenges that work toward the organization’s six shared change goals:
- Sustainable living
- Healthy food systems
- Deep equity
- Living water
- Balanced climate
- Mindful consumption
Online Earth Week Summit
From April 10 to 18, join likeminded individuals for a free Online Earth Week Summit sponsored by Green Team Academy. These two-hour workshops will take place daily and feature community leaders and experts. Plus, there will be daily Zoom happy hours. Register for free.
Digital Mobilization
Earth Day Network, the global organizer of Earth Day, will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with the first-ever Digital Earth Day, a global digital mobilization on April 22 to address the most urgent threats to people and the planet. The global conversation will be unified and tracked online by the shared hashtags #EarthDay2020 and #EARTHRISE. Other digital events will include virtual protests, social media campaigns, online teach-ins, and more. A full scope of digital actions will be available at earthday.org.
Farmer’s Almanac
The Farmer’s Almanac lists several activities that you can do in honor of Earth Day. This includes planting wildflowers and plants that are native to our area, which will invite bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to your gardens. Check out this list for more activities and ideas.
Green (Home) Office Checklist
Remember our Green Office Checklist? For those of you working remotely, this is a chance to apply some of the checklist principles to your home or off-site office. Send us photos and stories about how you’re making your remote workspace sustainable. We’d love to share your successes on social media (with your permission, of course) to help inspire others throughout the month.
Green Reads from around the Web
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The University of Rochester is one of 119 colleges and universities throughout the United States to receive the 2020 Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. We are now one of 359 higher education institutions across the nation to hold the distinction, which indicates an institutional commitment to community engagement. This is the 
