Celebration or Token Gesture?

Earth Day is coming up on 22 April, and it’s Nature Play week, closely followed by World Environment Day, National Tree Day, Biodiversity Month, National Recycling Week, NAIDOC Week, Water Week…. The list goes on…

Lots of people ask me what the point of celebrating all these days are, and is it helpful in terms of actually embedding sustainability.  Isn’t every day Earth Day!?

My answer is, it depends…

If you do a few things on the day, and that’s it, probably a token gesture and not really moving the needle in terms of embedding sustainability.

BUT…

If you’re strategic, purposeful and intentional about how you celebrate and what you celebrate then that’s a whole other story.

So here’s some things to keep in mind…

Is it relevant or meaningful for your community or program?  If you’re celebrating an event just to fill a hole in your program or you think you should, you might want to ask yourself if that’s a good use of your time, energy and resources.  If it’s not meaningful to your community then what’s the purpose?  How might it be reflected in your program or practices beyond that day…?

Who are you trying to engage?  Depending on where you’re at you might be trying to engage your team, perhaps the children (or both), families or your broader community.  Identify who you're engaging with and for what purpose.  Do you want to start conversations, learn more about their knowledge, skills or interests; develop skills; provide an experience to connect with people or places beyond your service?  The answers to these questions should guide you in choosing the activities or celebrations that are right for you right now.  If you want the inside word on engaging others check out my Getting Others On Board Mini Course here.

Does it help you progress towards your sustainability vision?  Is the event, theme or activity aligned with your sustainability vision?  Will celebrating help you engage others, take action or make progress?  Your sustainability vision provides a useful framework for decision making!  If the answer is yes, excellent!  If it’s not then don’t.  Developing your sustainability vision is a key step in our 5-Step Framework for Embedding Sustainability. You can find out more about the Framework in my From Doing to Embedding Sustainability Masterclass On Demand here.

What resources are required?  Do you have the time, energy or money to do it well?  Is there a way to celebrate using what you have and without spending a huge amount of time preparing and planning.  Is a budget required?  Do you have access to others in your community who can provide support with skills, knowledge, materials or time?  In the Sustainability Kick Start Program we use The Sustainability Superhero Skills Matrix as a useful tool for this!

Is it fun?  Sustainability can feel heavy and overwhelming, so it’s important to keep things a bit fun.  Try new things, test your comfort zone and enjoy the ride.  We want to create positive memories and associations with sustainability action.  We want people to feel engaged, empowered and excited about the opportunities and possibilities embedding sustainability can bring!

If you want to celebrate Earth Day at this time or any other time throughout the year then download the Earth Day Ideas Book before it disappears on 28 April.  Get it here.  If you miss it, never fear, you don’t need a special day to celebrate the awesomeness that is our planet!  Every day is Earth Day! 

If you’re looking for more ideas for starting sustainability you can download our free guide 25 Ideas for Starting Sustainability - that aren’t composting, worm farming or recycling anytime.  Get sustainability inspiration straight to your inbox here.

Happy Earth Day Earthlings! 🌏