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NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman took this picture of Earth from the Orion spacecraft’s window on April 2, 2026. Image Credit: NASA/Reid Wiseman

Earth Day 2026 takes place on Wednesday, 22^nd April, and the overall theme remains the same as last year, ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, as environmental progress is sustained by daily actions of communities, educators, workers, and families protecting where they live and work.

Our Power, Our Planet

The focus this year is encouraging people to take action to support clean air, clean water, clean energy, protected natural resources, and climate stability. This is because environmental protections are under pressure worldwide due to economic stress, conflict, climate impacts, and shifting political priorities, yet environmental progress is real, resilient, and ongoing despite all of this. Every individual has the power to create change and make sustainable choices daily.

The first Earth Day took place in 1970 in America, with rallies to show support for environmental reform. The event continued to grow and then in 2009 the United Nations passed a resolution designating the 22nd April as International Mother Earth Day. This year sees the 56^th Earth Day take place.

Get Involved

Although, Earth Day is Wednesday 22^nd April, events and actions start on Saturady 18^th April and run through Earth Week to the following weekend. There are lots of ways to get involved:

• Attend an event – there are lots of events taking place around the globe and on the website, you can find your local events on the map. These events range for lectures, to community clean-ups, tree planting and many other things, there is bound to be something that interests you. Some of the local events to us that caught our attention are:
  • Dorset Planetarium Earth Day Space show on the 22^nd April. This is a planetarium free day for local schools, home education groups and families to book.
  • Earth Day Birdwatching in Cornwall, with events on both the 19^th and 26^th April
  • Dundry Earth Day Festival in Somerset on the 25^th April.
• 50 Small Actions – The website shows 50 small environmental actions that can make a difference and inspire others and your community.
• Use the Earth Day Resources on Earth Hub to learn more about what is happening to the planet – there is a lot of information on the website, including:
  • Quizzes: Renewable Energy Quiz, Regenerative Agriculture Quiz, Climate Change Quiz, Sustainable Fashion Quiz, Environmental Justice Quiz, Clean Energy Quiz and What Renewable Energy Are You Quiz (turns out I’m Tidal Energy – which, given we live by the sea is reassuring and understandable!)
  • Fact sheets on environmental topics to learn from.
  • Toolkits to show how anyone can act on environmental issues, the toolkits range from Bee Conservation, through sustainable shopping, to how to contact elected officials, and many more.
• Watch Earth Day Live on Thursday April 16^th: Three American City leaders discuss how to turn climate commitments into measurable, community-focused outcomes.

Summary

For Earth Day 2026, why not get involved? You can make a difference, as demonstrated by the quote on the website:

When individuals act, communities form. When communities speak up, leaders listen.

With everything happening in the world, we need to remember the importance and value of the environment and make sure our leaders remember this too!