Dear Friend --

What is one of your favourite natural spots on Earth? This Earth Day, we thought we’d share some of those beautiful sites on our planet that inspire us to take action against nuclear weapons, and ask about yours.

My favourite view from Bald Head in Albany, WA, Australia. 

On our team, the question unleashed a series of photos and stories that had us all itching to grab our hiking shoes and head out into nature.  For ski-loving Florian it was no surprise that the snowy Alpine peaks were top of mind. For Hawa, it's the acres of primary forest she has bought in Kenya to help protect the area and its indigenous trees from reckless developers. Alicia immediately thought of the lakes region near her family’s home in New Hampshire. Lucero shared her love for the Andean Cloud forests of Ecuador, home to stunning colibris, rare orchids and spectacled bears. As for me, I thought of so many beautiful sites in Australia, but chose the incredible coasts of Albany, Western Australia.

You can find a more photos of these locations, and others chosen by the ICAN team on our instagram. What about you? Tell us your own favourite spot, and why you want to protect it on social media using #nuclearban and #EarthDay. 

We know that, with everything that is going on, this may seem a light-hearted way to engage in the issue of nuclear weapons. So often in ICAN’s daily work, our focus lies on the horrific consequences of nuclear weapons, the injustice of the impacts across the nuclear chain. But we also do this work to protect the people, beings and places we love on this planet. After all, every species would be harmed in nuclear war, but there is only one species that can stop it: us. 

That is why we hope that you will continue to stand with us, on Earth Day and every day. The generous support from people like you makes our work possible, and helps us get more people involved in speaking out against nuclear weapons.  This year we are reaching out to individuals and groups that work across the different issues that threaten our planet: climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and build stronger ties through the common denominator we want to protect: Earth. So if you can, could you please consider making a donation to power that work?

With many thanks for all that you do,

Melissa Parke
Executive Director
ICAN