Organizers Toolkit - Earth Day Network

[Pages:24]Earth Day 2019

Earth Day 2019 Organizers Toolkit

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EARTH DAY NETWORK

Organizers

Toolkit

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

EARTH DAY 2019 - Protect Our Species

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Be a Part of the Earth Day Movement

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History of Earth Day

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How to Organize and Event

Decide on a Type of Event

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Develop Key Messages

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Create a Work Group for Your Event

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Raising Money and Budget

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Launch a Successful Media Campaign

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Finding and Working with Volunteers

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Ensure your Event is Well Attended

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Tips for Large Event Planning

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Resources and Samples

Sample of Previous Events

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Media List Sample

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Let the Press Know - Sample Media Advisory

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Sample Press Release

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Earth Day 2019 Organizers Toolkit

Produced by Earth Day Network for the Protect Our Species Campaign, 2019

Copyright ? 2019 by Earth Day Network all rights reserved. This toolkit was last updated January 18, 2019. For more information, email info@

Designed and prepared by David Ayer, Valeria Merino, and Sebastian Rosemont.

This Toolkit can be copied and disseminated for free as long as the format is not changed, and Earth Day Network is cited or given credit.

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THE EARTH DAY 2019 THEME:

Nature's gift to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and the many more that we have yet to discover. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably altered the balance of nature and the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction it has seen since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity.

Developing activities are leading to the global destruction or rapid reduction of populations of plants and wildlife. Species are going extinct, and habitats are shrinking. Biodiversity, or the variety of living things in a given place ? whether in a small stream, a desert, a forest, the oceans, or the entire planet ? is falling faster than ever before. If this problem continues, it will have an overall negative impact on the capacity of the planet to sustain life, including that of humans.

? See our Species Fact Sheet ? Download our Protect Our Species Primer & Action Toolkit

LEARN MORE

To learn more and to access content related to the Protect our Species Campaign, please download EDN's Protect our Species Primer and Action Toolkit at earthdayinabox

WHY ARE WE LOSING OUR SPECIES?

The causes are many: deforestation, habitat loss, poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution, pesticides, and climate change to name a few, and the impacts are far-reaching. If we do not act now, bringing about mass extinction may be humanity's most enduring legacy.

All living things have the right to exist, and they have an intrinsic value independent of their value to us. Every species serves a purpose and plays a role in the web of life and in the key ecosystem services we as humans depend on such as the filtration of air and water, the control of climate and disease, the support of nutrient cycles and oxygen production, and the provision of spiritual and recreational benefits.

The good news is that if we take action, we can stop extinction!

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Earth Day 2019 Organizers Toolkit

Be a Part of the Earth Day Movement

Acting on Earth Day is a first step and a unique opportunity to contribute to the effort to take action on important environmental efforts like the fight to protect all species in an effective and long-lasting way.

Hosting an Earth Day event in your community is a wonderful way to bring all of its members together, promote action, and send a message to your local policy makers that they must also Protect Our Species and the environment in general.

ABOUT THIS TOOLKIT

This guide will provide you with everything you need to join others that organize Earth Day events around the world. In this toolkit, we have included core information about the problem, resources and ideas to help you get organized and sample messaging you can use to communicate with others. You will also find information about Earth Day and the 2019 theme "Protect Our Species".

This toolkit will then guide you through the steps of hosting a successful Earth Day event, including:

? Options for types of events you can hold

? Communications plans, sample messaging, and materials

? Advice on forming an event organizing committee

? Fundraising tips

? Advice for organizing large events

? Instructions on how to recruit and organize volunteers

? Suggestions for enticing people to attend your event

THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT IS INCREDIBLY DIVERSE.

People around the world are incredibly committed to protecting the planet. We want to have as many voices as possible join the Earth Day conversation. You can bring your own community's voice to the conversation by hosting an Earth Day event and talking about the environmental issues that matter most to you.

Earth Day 2019 Organizers Toolkit

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History of Earth Day

Earth Day 2019 comes at a time in history when we must confront complex environmental challenges. It presents a unique opportunity to unite people across social, geographical, and political boundaries, as occurred on the first Earth Day in 1970.

In 1970, groups fighting against problems as diverse as air and water pollution or the loss of biodiversity and habitat realized they shared common values. The first Earth Day made palpable that a healthy environment is vital to the wellbeing of our societies. The ensuing creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency and approval of landmark environmental legislation inspired others around the world, and soon many countries built their own environmental protection systems. The quality of life of billions of people in the world has improved dramatically as a result of the first Earth Day.

Incredible social and environmental advances have already been achieved thanks to the tireless work and commitment of thousands of organizations and individuals. Nevertheless, we need the support and energy of large portions of the population to overcome the tremendous obstacles that we face today and to collectively elevate environmental issues to the top of the political, social, and economic agendas.

Earth Day is the largest secular observance in the world ? celebrated by more than a billion people every year ? and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes. April 22, 2020 will be the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. Today, we invite you to be a part of Earth Day and to help write many more chapters ? struggles and victories ? into the Earth Day book.

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How to Organize & Hold a Successful Event

DECIDE ON A TYPE OF EVENT

Earth Day Network has developed one main event idea: A Teach-In on 2019's theme ? Protect Our Species. We have also developed toolkits for educators, local governments, and faith groups available below. There are many other potential events one could hold such as removing invasive species from your community, teaching people how to garden in a pollinator friendly way or lobbying your local government to protect local species habitat.

EVENT IDEAS

Teach-In on Species Conservation

DCweoaonrmgraens,s-

Letters to Policy Makers Writing Drive

Community Waste Cleanup

Phone Banking

DOWNLOAD TOOLKITS

Teach-In Toolkit To build on our protect our species goal and theme, hold a teach-in in your community. Protect Our Species Primer & Action Toolkit Everything you need to know to help Protect Our Species.

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Invasive Species Removal Drive

VOTE Green Voter Registration

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Earth Day 2019 Organizers Toolkit

DEVELOP KEY MESSAGES

Urgency

Broad appeal

Call to action

SAMPLE KEY MESSAGES

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On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

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Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.

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Nature's gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and, as a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity.

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All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life.

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CREATE A WORK GROUP FOR YOUR EVENT

The members of this group will tackle the various aspects of coordinating the event. Try to build a team as quickly as possible to spread out the work. Create a group on Facebook or another media platform to facilitate communication. As your team grows, members can become specialized into the roles listed below. This group may include:

COORDINATOR

The person in charge of coordinating the event and defining and delegating the tasks that the various group members putting the event together need to perform. Recruit someone with past event management experience.

COMMUNICATIONS TEAM

This group will craft the message about your event and disseminate it to the press in social media to promote coverage of your event. They need to have strong writing skills and preferably have contacts in the local press, and be familiar with social media tools.

ENGAGEMENT & OUTREACH TEAM

This team will promote the event to the local community to encourage attendance. Depending on the scale of your event and ability to recruit work group members, consider designating individual roles for the different aspects of Engagement and Outreach: ? Partnerships/Fundraising Coordinator ? Volunteer Coordinator ? Events Logistics Coordinator ? Content Program Coordinator

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