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Ontario marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, meaningful action begins at home

TORONTO, ON., APRIL 22, 2020 — Although it may not be as easy to get out and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario’s Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Jeff Yurek, says meaningful action begins at home.

“Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the day that we as global citizens come together to increase awareness and appreciation of Earth’s natural environment” says Yurek.

Yurek sees this year’s Earth Day as a chance to reflect on the importance of the environment to our own health and wellbeing, and asserts that we must do to protect it for future generations. “As we continue to fight the spread of COVID-19, we are seeing, first hand, how our personal contributions make a difference,” says Yurek.

Now, more than ever, true meaningful action begins at home.

“I’ve been so inspired by what I’ve seen online these past few weeks,” said Yurek. “I’ve seen gardeners re-growing their own produce from vegetable stalks and making seed pods using old toilet paper rolls, people sewing masks from used textiles and children creating homemade “thank you” signs to show appreciation to frontline waste collection workers.”

**above** One of the many Earth Day kids activities recommended by Earth Rangers is to create this simple Germination Station.

In his statement, Ontario’s Minister of the Environment also mentioned that organizations like the Toronto Zoo and Earth Rangers are stepping it up to offer free daily virtual educational activities that help growing minds stay connected with nature and wildlife, while practicing physical distancing.

**above** The Toronto Zoo’s Zoo To You schoolis a great opportunity for kids to learn about animals virtually.

The Ford government says it has been taking action to support a healthy and clean environment through through the province’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan. Through our plan, we will continue to protect our land, air, and water, address litter and reduce waste, and fight climate change.

So today, on Earth Day, I want to thank you all for your incredible contributions and I look forward to engaging with you as we work together to make our communities and our province a cleaner, healthier place to live, work and grow.”