John,

On April 22, 1970, people across the United States mobilized for the first Earth Day with marches, rallies and teach-ins. Their collective action helped shine a spotlight on the environment, spurring the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and bedrock laws like the Endangered Species Act.

As you know, since that first Earth Day 52 years ago, we’ve witnessed heart-wrenching harms to Planet Earth: lost wildlife, lost wildlands, oil spills, climate change. But we’ve also won battles. We’ve brought species back from the brink of extinction. We’ve fiercely protected pristine places from bulldozers and pollution. And the environmental movement is bigger, broader, and more connected than ever before. 

There’s still time to save the planet from ourselves and for ourselves. Life on Earth is interconnected, which means that when we save one piece of it, we save everything it touches. It’s going to take people power — all of us pitching in — but every action makes a difference. Here are five actions you can take this Earth Day:

• Help ban elephant trophy imports.
• Tell U.S. Fish and Wildlife to do its job: Stop extinctions.
• Speak up for climate-saving forests.
• Call for an end to new oil and gas leasing on public lands in the United States.
• Protect killer whales and other creatures from pesticides.

Thank you for caring about the interconnected diversity of life. Consider supporting the Center’s work through a gift to our Saving Life on Earth Fund.