LOCALIZE IT: Earth Day is chance for environmental check-in

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

More than 190 countries celebrate Earth Day on April 22 each year. It’s an event that originated in the United States more than 50 years ago with an idea from a junior senator from Wisconsin — Gaylord Nelson.

In 1969, just a few years after author Rachel Carson had raised Americans’ consciousness about threats to the environment through her landmark “Silent Spring,” a disastrous oil spill off the California coast prompted Nelson to suggest a teach-in on college campuses about environmentalism. That idea became the first Earth Day in 1970, with protests, demonstrations and events around the country that drew 20 million Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency was established later that year, and Congress passed the Clean Air Act; the Clean Water Act was passed two years later.

Half a century later, EarthDay.org, a nonprofit that grew out of the first Earth Day, is focusing on the urgent need to address climate change. This year's slogan: “Invest In Our Planet.”

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BASICS: YOUR EARTH DAY STORY

How is Earth Day celebrated in your community? Are there events planned for people who want to get involved, such as river or park cleanups? Other initiatives or celebrations?

EarthDay.org has an interactive map showing events happening around the world. You can also consider searching social media for individuals or groups organizing local events in your area.

Contact event organizers and discuss their plans, and be vigilant for angles that go beyond the obvious. For example, if it’s a march, what kind of environmental best practices are being used to reduce the event’s footprint? How are organizers trying to make their event inclusive?

Are there interesting presentations or lectures planned in your community that you could preview? What’s happening in your local schools? Are Native American tribes in your area planning events?

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TAKE YOUR REPORTING FURTHER

— Does your community have major challenges related to the environment or climate change? For example, infrastructure that may be insufficient for increasing flood risk? Earth Day could be a good opportunity to highlight these issues or provide a status update.

— The harmful impacts of pollution and a warming climate often fall harder on those who can least afford it or who cannot escape it. Does your community have equity issues worth exploring — for example, perennial air or water pollution issues in neighborhoods that are less well off? Is tree canopy fairly distributed in your city to shelter residents from the worst summer heat?

— Is there a green industry business or nonprofit in your area worth profiling? What about stories that demystify, personalize and explain adoption of greener technologies, such as owning and operating electric vehicles or heat pumps?

— Are lawmakers in your state considering legislation related to the environment or climate change? A glance at what’s happening in your Legislature could be useful to your audience. You can search for measures in your state, along with sponsors and the committees reviewing them, at your state government’s free bill-tracking site.

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RESOURCES

Journalists looking for still more ideas to localize Earth Day can check out EarthDay.org.

The University of California at Berkeley has this page with links to major environmental groups.

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.