Image Credit: Contributed/Alexis Forseille

KAMLOOPS - What are YOU doing for Earth Day? Kamloops 350 and the BCSEA have some suggestions, and are hoping that residents will get on board by making a public pledge for an Earth Day action.  Everyone who posts a pledge will be entered into a draw for 5 retractable indoor/outdoor clotheslines, courtesy of BCSEA-Kamloops.

Earth Day Kamloops 2014 is a Facebook event where residents are encouraged to share their commitments with the rest of the city. “We’d like people to think about their daily habits and make some adjustments, whether for a day, a month, a year—or forever!” says Gisela Ruckert of Kamloops 350. “Earth Day is a convenient reminder that we need to live more lightly on this planet, and this campaign will hopefully give some of us that extra bit of motivation to do what we know is the right thing to do.”

In addition to making a pledge to do something Earth-friendly, participants are pledging to share their commitment with at least one other person. “By explaining to someone else  what their pledge is, and the reason they’re making it, we are hoping to spread the awareness beyond the already “converted,” engaging people who might not think there’s a need to change our habits,” says Nancy Flood, another organizer.  “We need to motivate more people to step up and take positive actions on Earth Day -- and every day, really.”

Post your commitment on our Facebook event page (search for Kamloops 350): by making your Earth Day actions public you’ll be inspiring your neighbours to join us, and you’ll be automatically entered for the clothesline draws.

Those who make a pledge will be in good company.  Every year on April 22, more than one billion people take part in Earth Day. Across the globe, individuals, communities, organizations, and governments acknowledge the amazing planet we call home and take action to protect it.

So what can you do?

Don't drive -- make a point of walking, cycling or taking transit.

Why not mix up a batch of eco-friendly household cleaners that you’ve been meaning to try? (Hint: the City is running a course on making your own eco-friendly cleaners on April 29th!)

Install a rain barrel or a faucet aerator: not only will you save water, but when metered water rates kick in, you’ll be saving money too.

Invite your neighbours over for a dinner of local, sustainably grown food.

Walk your kids to school, or check to make sure that their bike helmets still fit and get them ready to bike to school every day from now on.

Honour the day as with a vegetarian dinner (and consider joining the Meatless Monday movement).  

Plant a tree, clean up a section of riverbank – the possibilities are endless.  

Choose an action that works for you; each of us will have a slightly different set of priorities, and all the actions together are what will make a difference in the end.

And that’s the gist of it: from Beijing to Cairo, Melbourne to London, Rio to Johannesburg, New Delhi to New York, communities everywhere will voice their concerns for the planet, commit to making change in their own lives, and call on their leaders to act boldly. 

Together, we’ll highlight the solutions and showcase the collective power of individuals taking action across the world. In doing so, we hope to inspire our leaders to act and inspire ourselves to redouble our efforts in the fight against climate change.

Let’s be part of that effort, Kamloops!  What are YOU doing for Earth Day?  Let us know at Earth Day Kamloops 2014 on Facebook.

News from © iNFOnews, 2014