7 Days of Climate Action
Take Action for Earth Day!
Wednesday, April 22 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and ACES wants to celebrate with YOU!
Every action, no matter how small, makes an impact on our planet. It’s up to you to decide what you want your impact to be! Beginning on Thursday, April 16, ACES will be highlighting one action per day that you can take from home through a special “7 Days of Climate Action” campaign.
Join the movement! Turn quarantine into climate action by completing all 7 actions with us and sharing it on social media. Once you complete each action, post a photo using #ACESEarthDay and tag @ACESAspen (on Instagram and Twitter) or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies (on Facebook) for your chance to win an ACES buff and other swag courtesy of Aspen Daily News, Aether, Aspen Skiing Company, and Patagonia Snowmass! *Timeline for delivery of prizes will be subject to COVID-19 recommendations.
This virtual event is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors: City of Aspen Climate Action Office, Pitkin County Landfill, and the Aspen Daily News.
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Pledge to support the “Global Deal for Nature”
Become an advocate for public lands with Wilderness Workshop! Protecting our wild places plays a vital role in fighting climate change by safeguarding resilient ecosystems and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Delicately-balanced ecosystems are responsible for filtering water, cleaning air, and producing food for us to eat. When these systems are thrown out of balance by human activities, it threatens the wellbeing of life on earth, including humans. The Global Deal for Nature aims to protect these natural systems that we rely on. In doing so, it also protects our economy and preserves our human identity. Learn more about the Global Deal For Nature and the importance of biodiversity here!
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Share your pledge with the hashtag #ACESEarthDay and tag @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies and @WildernessWorkshop
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Calculate Your Carbon Footprint
What’s your carbon footprint? Carbon emissions come from your lifestyle choices, from daily transportation to dietary choices, and impact our climate. This is a global problem, but you can be a part of the solution! Conservation International’s carbon footprint calculator is a way of calculating greenhouse gas emissions that result from your everyday choices. Some of these emissions are more obvious, like how much gas your car uses or how much energy your lightbulbs require. Other emissions are not as obvious. For instance, the shirt you’re wearing may have materials that were shipped from another country or required more energy to create. The first step to making impact-reducing lifestyle choices is getting curious and learning more about your carbon footprint. Regardless of where your carbon footprint stands at this moment, there are always ways to reduce it!
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Share your footprint with the hashtag #ACESEarthDay and tag @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies and @ConservationInternational
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Reduce Your Waste
We’ve all heard of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” These principles help to reduce our carbon footprint, ecosystem pollution, and impact on landfills. EverGreen ZeroWaste’s new Love Zero Waste App helps Roaring Fork Valley residents sort through their waste with local recycling opportunities for 300+ items. Another way you can take action is by taking Pitkin County Landfill’s pledge to reduce your waste, which will further conserve our resources, improve the condition of local water and soil, and reduce the production of harmful greenhouse gasses. By completing the pledge, you will be emailed a free 25-pound bag of Pitkin County compost or potting soil. Not a Roaring Fork Valley Resident? Still curious about other ways you can keep your life out of the landfill? Learn how you can reduce your waste or compost at home! You can also check out this article about electronic waste and how to recycle your electornics!
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Share your plan to reduce waste with the hashtag #ACESEarthDay and tag @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies and @PitkinCountyLandfill, and/or @EverGreenZeroWaste
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Complete CORE’s Energy Scavenger Hunt in Your Home or Business
The Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) is here to help you create a comfortable, healthy, carbon-free space 365 days a year and for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, CORE is making it extra special. CORE challenges you and your household to complete the Earth Day Energy Scavenger Hunt! It’s simple: complete as many items on the list as you can. If you want to amplify your action once you’re done, contact your local energy company and find out how you can go renewable in your area. If you’re in the Roaring Fork Valley, contact Holy Cross Energy to see how you can go renewable!
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Share your results on social with @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies with the hashtags #ACESEarthDay and #COREScavengerHunt. When you do, you’ll be entered to win a Goal Zero Portable Solar Power Kit, so the carbon-free fun can keep rolling!
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Commit to Eating Less Meat
Join Greenpeace in eating less meat and more plants – food choices that are good for you and for the planet! Today, try participating in “Meatless Mondays” to reduce your carbon footprint* (while also forming healthy habits to prevent chronic illnesses). If you’re not ready to go full-blown vegetarian or vegan, try a plant-rich diet using as many local, seasonal options as possible and consider treating meat more like a garnish. Making small swaps and adjustments can be an effective way to begin! Here’s some plant-based, seasonal, and vegetarian recipe ideas to get you started.
*If you do choose to eat meat, try to buy from local & Animal Welfare Approved farms. If you live in the Roaring Fork Valley, you can find eggs, chicken, lamb, and beef seasonally available from ACES at Rock Bottom Ranch that are Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Wildlife Friendly, and utilize carbon-sequestering regenerative agriculture practices!
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Post your recipe or document your meal on socialmedia, tagging @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies, @ACESrbr, and #ACESEarthDay
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Pledge (and Register) to Vote
Did you know there are 36,000,000 outdoor enthusiasts in this country? If we all got out and voted, imagine what a difference it could make to benefit outdoor spaces! Protecting your playground starts with a pledge. Protect Our Winters (POW) will hold you to it by giving you the tools and resources you need to vote with confidence this November. If you’re already registered to vote, encourage at least one person who might not be to get registered. Action with POW is brought to you in partnership with Aspen Skiing Company and the Environment Foundation.
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Share your registration with the hashtag #ACESEarthDay and tag @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies and @ProtectOurWinters
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Divestment: Stop the Money Pipeline
Is your bank funding the fossil fuel industry? Find out how your money is being used and how your bank stacks up using Rainforest Action Network’s “Banking on Climate Change Report Card.” Campaigns across the globe are unifying to “Stop the Money Pipeline,” demanding that banks, asset managers, and insurance companies stop funding, insuring, and investing in climate destruction. Organizations like the Sierra Club and 350 Colorado are helping to lead that charge. Through the divestment movement, you can help defund the fossil fuel industry and ensure that our efforts and resources are directed into environmentally responsible renewable energy.
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Share what you learned with @ACESAspen or @AspenCenterforEnvironmentalStudies using the hashtag #ACESEarthDay
BONUS Action for Colorado Residents: Fight for Clean Air
Despite great climate action thus far, Colorado is less than halfway to meeting the science-based goals set out in the state’s Climate Action Plan. Act with Conservation Colorado by contacting the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission and asking them to implement carbon reduction regulations to hit Colorado’s emission reductions targets! You can urge them to stay the course and pass bold, equitable climate policies to meet our state’s emissions reduction targets. Climate change is one of the greatest threats to our state and the urgency to act is becoming more pressing every day. Colorado communities are already suffering from the health impacts of a changing climate, and our air, water, and wildlife are bearing the burden as well. We can leave a better planet and more equitable society for our children and grandchildren if we take bold action now.
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Thanks to our sponsors for making this virtual Earth Day celebration possible!
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