The United Nations defines climate change as long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change.
With each passing year, the effects of climate change become more evident as summers get warmer, winters get colder, spontaneous rains, and other natural disasters that threaten to endanger life as we know it. The causes of climate change are plenty such as deforestation and increased emission of greenhouse gasses.
The Earth is currently 1.1°C warmer than it was during the 1800s. The Paris Agreement's goal is to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels. This is thought to be the upper limit for avoiding the worst effects of climate change.
Earth Day is an annual commemoration of the environmental movement's accomplishments and a reminder of the significance of long-term ecological sustainability.
The first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States in 1970 but, in 1990, Earth Day drew 200 million individuals from 141 countries, bringing environmental issues to a global audience and boosting recycling activities around the world. The Theme for Earth Day 2022 is “Restore Our Earth”.
Here are some fun ideas for some last-minute earth day activities to engage your employees:
An ideal game to play virtually, and a great game to get to know your co-workers better. If you are looking to engage your employees in a fun team-building activity, Earth Day Bingo is your answer. The game is simple, each person gets one card and the players note the name of their co-workers to whom the descriptions apply. In order to win the game, the players must have marked five consecutive boxes. The same name can’t be used twice in one row, column, or diagonal.
Another great Earth Day work from home game is a Scavenger Hunt on an Earth Day theme. For this game, you can list out a few items that the players will have to fetch and hold up to the camera. Like in most games, the first person to gather all or most of the items on the list is the winner. Your list may include objects such as a real leaf, a steel straw, a reusable bottle (not plastic), a reusable eco-friendly shopping bag, etc.
You can also turn this into an outdoor Earth Day game by asking players to photograph earth day-related objects such as the world ‘Nature’, a recycle symbol, a beehive, etc.
A nature photo competition could be played virtually or in person. This game would require participants to click pictures of nature or themselves in nature, the organizer's choice! The participants can submit photos they might have taken previously. You may set a theme for the competition if you wish to. The person who has the best picture or the picture that accurately captures the theme wins.
Plastic stays in the ecosystem for a long time, posing a hazard to wildlife and spreading pollutants. Plastic plays a role in global warming as well. As the name suggests, this game encourages players to give up their plastic usage for a day. This would mean using steel or glass utensils and bottles, glass jugs, etc. Anything but avoid using plastic for a day.
As an earth day game in the office, employees can try making their office spaces greener. Adding indoor plants in the bullpen or on their desks, using bamboo pen stands, and paper cups at the watercooler, are some ways in which you can make the office eco-friendly. The color green is also said to stimulate creativity.
Recycling drives are one of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day. You may ask your employees to collect any recyclable effects and set up designated bins to ship the material to a recycling center. This can also be a great way to educate employees on recycling practices and how they should follow the same in their households.
You also have the option of setting up a ‘to donate basket’. This is where people can collect items they would like to donate and you may give these baskets to a charity of your choice.
There is a myriad of visual content available on the topic of climate change. Documentaries strive to showcase the effects of pressing issues in real-time and nature documentaries are no exception. By screening documentaries for your employees, you have a chance to teach them the urgency of saving the earth and instilling in them the need to take action. Documentaries such as - 2040, Our Planet, and An inconvenient truth - Climate change, are some must-watch documentaries.
One of the best ways to celebrate Earth Day is to take a proactive role in helping the environment and by supporting causes working toward sustainability. Volunteering for a beach clean-up drive, planting trees, or sorting out recycling can be a fun employee engagement idea.
It is also possible to virtually volunteer with organizations from across the globe that support the environment and sustainability.
Chezuba has partnered with over 7000 nonprofit organizations from across the globe that support a wide range of causes for your employees to choose from. Request a demo to learn how Chezuba is the right fit for your organization’s corporate social responsibility plan.
Earth Day is a day that should be observed by everyone. We have but one Earth and have an equal responsibility to maintain and preserve it. Earth Day unites people across borders, nations, beliefs, and lifestyles by providing a common cause and ground. To quote Tony Blair, “Global warming is too serious for the world any longer to ignore its danger or split into opposing factions on it.”
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