How to Be a Grassroots Activist

Here at EARTHDAY.ORG, we are asking everyone to Invest In Our Planet. We hope to encourage and inspire everyone to engage their communities in environmental activism. A great, free resource we provide to everyone are our toolkits that take on several of the world’s most pressing issues. 

Our newest toolkit provides easy-to-follow steps, tips, and tricks on how to be an individual taking action against the climate crisis, or more specifically, How to Be a Grassroots Activist. 

Grassroots activism is about mobilizing individuals passionate about a shared cause and a desire to change the world for the better. The emphasis on collective action makes grassroots activism effective and distinguishes it from other forms. However, collective action can’t occur without individual behavior change as the catalyst. 

This toolkit covers four of the most substantial practices we must take as individuals to end climate change. This includes:

• Ending plastic pollution
• Supporting sustainable fashion
• Increasing climate literacy
• Taking individual action 

With nearly 380 million metric tons of plastic being produced yearly, plastic waste is a massive part of our current world. From causing harm to marine life to causing damage to humans, plastic pollution has an immense negative impact on all aspects of our environment. Taking action to reduce your plastic footprint is a great way to do your part in investing in our planet.

The fashion industry was estimated to be worth $2.4 trillion in 2016 and has only grown since then. However, this industry comes at a considerable cost to our environment and garment workers. In fact, 80% of all clothing ultimately ends up in landfills or incinerated, taking a huge toll on the environment. In 2018, the fashion industry alone produced 2.31 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions. This problem is only getting worse with cheap fast-fashion on the rise.

Comprehensive and continuous climate and environmental education is an extremely important aspect of fighting the climate crisis. It is critical that we all take the steps necessary to educate ourselves and others on various threats to our planet and how we can take action.

As individuals, through changes in awareness, behaviors, and practices, we all have the capacity to make a difference and take action against climate change. We have the simple yet effective power to make our voices heard through our choices, our civic actions, and our personal interactions. What each of us does, and how we do it, has a huge ripple effect on our ecosystems, and on the pace of corporate and government action.

Check out this toolkit and join us as we act on climate change!