Today is #EarthDay2020 so I thought I would share a few tips on how to be an #advocate for the Earth, for those looking for ideas!

1) Follow organizations working for the Earth. A short list -
Local: @AnacostiaRrkper @anacostiaws @ANStweets @LoveRockCreek @8_woods @DCGreens

Regional: @chesapeakebay @AllianceForBay @ChooseCleanH2O

National: @ourocean @npca @Waterkeeper @NatlOceanPolicy @audubonsociety

2) Sign up to be on one, a few, or all of the organizations listed above’s email lists to learn more about what they do to protect the resources they work on.

3) Register for learning opportunities that teach you more about a topic. A couple of upcoming examples include:
Tomorrow - Clean Water Grows on Trees by @chesapeakebay https://secure.cbf.org/site/Calendar;jsessionid=00000000.app30129a
Next week - Environmental Advocacy 101 by @ANStweets https://twitter.com/EisenstadtAri/status/1252308949392556033?s=20

4) Volunteering is hard these days, but some organizations have put together great remote, individual and socially distanced volunteer opportunities. Here’s one I’ll be participating in: https://twitter.com/AnacostiaRrkper/status/1252334910251171841?s=20

5) Research issues that your elected officials care about. Don’t know who your federal elected officials are? You can find your Representative here https://ziplook.house.gov/htbin/findrep_house?ZIP=. Go to their webpage, read the issues page, and learn about what they are focused on

6) If you find out they don’t list a topic you’re passionate about on their website, send them an email about why you think they should care about that issue. You can find their contact information on their website. Ask them what their position is on the issue and keep in touch.

7) Zoom parties are all the rage these days. Host one w/ friends where you each pick a topic about the environment and spend 5 minutes presenting for each other. You may all learn something new!

8) If you see an article in the newspaper about the environment, and you have an opinion in response to that article, write to the newspapers editor with a short blurb about your thoughts on the article. @alaskawild has a great guide, here: https://alaskawild.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Letters_to_the_Editor.pdf

9) There are many more ways to engage in advocacy these days – I’ve just listed a few. Want to learn more about advocacy and all its different forms? Send me a note and I’ll get you connected!