What is Earth Day and why do we celebrate it?

When it was first celebrated in 1970, Earth Day had an urgent focus: to combat climate change denial and put pressure on world leaders to address global warming.

Today, the stakes in the fight against climate change are higher than ever. From more frequent storms to unprecedented heatwaves and other extreme weather events, our climate is changing around us faster than predicted, and its effects are being felt around the world.

Currently, global actions add around 11 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year. In order to slow the rate and limit the amount of global warming, countries worldwide must considerably reduce the emissions linked to human activities.

Earth Day is a powerful tool to raise worldwide awareness and promote changes that can move the world towards a more sustainable future.
Today marks 52 years of protesting, advocating for change and volunteering for the good of the environment. According to the Earth Day Network, each year, on April 22, more than a billion people participate in Earth Day festivities in 192 countries, fighting to protect our planet and make it a healthier place to live.

Where was Earth Day first celebrated?

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 in the United States when a senator from Wisconsin organised a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues.

Rallies took place across the country, and by the end of the year, the US government had created the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1990, Earth Day was an event celebrated by more than 140 countries around the world.

How can you celebrate Earth Day?

The impact of the very first Earth Day was huge. It led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, which still exists today, and some of our most important environmental laws were passed.

Now, Earth Day is all about educating people about conservation, protesting against climate change and promoting volunteering for the planet’s good. Therefore, one of the most important things you can do is educate yourself. We all know we should be reducing, reusing and recycling, and Earth Day is a perfect day to really do your research and pledge to do better for our planet. Interested in learning more about how we can tackle global warming and live a more sustainable lifestyle? Have a look at some great podcasts on climate change and green reads recommended by the Moixa team.

You can also participate in thousands of live and online events to celebrate Earth Day that will take place all over the world, helping to increase awareness and spark global conversations.

How Moixa is supporting Earth Day

In order to fight climate change, we must considerably reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and develop new methods for more renewable energy to power our economies. At Moixa, we are committed to enabling more clean energy on the grid and accelerating customer adoption of renewable technologies to create a future powered by renewables.

According to our founder, Simon Daniel: “Our aim is to improve the value of energy and allow more renewable energy on the grid – by raising the IQ of batteries – such as charging at suitable times to save money or carbon, and access additional revenue streams by aggregating into grid services. This can ultimately help reduce fossil fuels by ensuring more wind and solar energy is stored and shifted to peak times.”

“We see an increased need for speed and scale, to rapidly electrify the world and homes with more renewable energy, batteries, and electric vehicles. This needs a massive focus on leveraging our GridShare software to control existing resources more intelligently. We want to make it much easier for everyone to switch to renewable energy and access low carbon solar energy and thus help accelerate the end of fossil fuels.” Read Simon’s full interview in the online tech magazine TechRound.

Furthermore, as a clear sign of Moixa’s intent to integrate climate action across our business practices, we have signed the SME Climate Commitment, committing to cutting our carbon emissions in half by 2030 and to reaching net zero by 2050.

We have also created an internal environment committee to discuss ideas and experiences and develop Moixa’s own environmental policy, targeted at further strengthening our company’s efforts while influencing climate action in society.