All are invited to join Southern Oregon Climate Action Now in a Facebook Live celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22 at 10:00 a.m.
Earth Day is 50! Even while we are cloistered at home because of the coronavirus, Southern Oregon Climate Action Now (SOCAN) cannot let this important day pass without notice.
SOCAN’s Earth Day Wake Up Call will be open to all as a livestream event on its Facebook page. The 30-minute program, under the creative direction of theater artist Barret O’Brien, will include local performers, guest speakers, and curated videos showcasing the history of Earth Day in the words of its founders, celebrating our beautiful planet, and highlighting areas of action and progress. Confirmed speakers include Oregon legislative climate champions Jeff Golden from Senate District 3 and Representative Pam Marsh from House District 5, as well as local biological scientist, climate activist, and SOCAN co-founder and co-facilitator Alan Journet. Additional speakers and artists will be announced as they are confirmed.
The first Earth Day in 1970 was an international event focused on the need to preserve and renew the threatened ecological balance upon which all life on Earth depends. In the U.S., a bipartisan event was organized by Wisconsin Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) and Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA), thanks in large part to the efforts of the first Earth Day coordinator, environmental advocate Denis Hayes.
At the time of the first Earth Day, many environmentalists were primarily focused on pollution and habitat destruction. While work on these issues is ongoing, today, climate change is now the front and center concern for planetary health. “Human health and environmental protection were not always partisan issues,” said SOCAN co-organizer Alan Journet. “It’s time for us to recommit and recapture the non-partisan view that protecting our environment is critical – not just to us but to life on the planet as we know it and value it.”
To join SOCAN’s Earth Day Wake Up Call, simply log-on to Facebook and search for Southern Oregon Climate Action Now’s Facebook page (facebook.com/SOClimate/). The program will be streamed live from SOCAN’s Facebook page from 10:00 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m.
