The original Earth Day remains a classic example of effective political organizing that took off after Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson said that he was planning a nationwide teach-in on the environment in September 1969.
“I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation’s priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problem of the environment," Nelson remarked.
Traditionally, to turn that concern into action requires politics. More than 50 years later the politics of Earth Day haven't, unfortunately, managed to accomplish that.
Last year on Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, President Joe Biden said, "This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis," during a virtual leaders summit on climate at the White House.
He added that the United States isn’t waiting. "We are resolving to take action--not only the--our federal government, but our cities and our states all across our country; small businesses, large businesses, large corporations; American workers in every field," Biden added.
More businesses are pitching in towards this goal than ever before, with companies such as Elon Musk's Tesla (TSLA) and Swedish manufacturer Polestar driving up the EV business and helping consumers reduce toxic emissions and CO2 pollution.
Now tech giant Amazon (AMZN) is planning to contribute to the cause as well, by equipping its beloved Alexa with a brand new command.
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"Alexa, Grow A Tree”
U.S. consumers of Amazon's popular voice assistant Alexa can now say, “Alexa, grow a tree” to donate $1 to plant one tree through the environmental organization One Tree Planted. The not-for-profit wants to help the environment by planting trees.
Right now people all over the world use Amazon's Alexa to do everyday tasks like checking the news, listening to music, or playing a game. By using this new command, users can also feel good about making environmental contributions as well.
"Trees play a vital role in creating clean air and water, maintaining a healthy climate, and providing habitats for wildlife. That’s why we are making it simple for Alexa customers to help support reforestation efforts by donating a tree just by using their voice," the company said in a blog post.
"Together we can restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world," One Tree Planted wrote on its website.
Additionally, Amazon is also donating $1 million to One Tree Planted. The donation will help the nonprofit plant a total of one million trees, starting in April through December 2022.
Through this partnership Amazon will help reforestation efforts in surface-mined land in Centre County, Pennsylvania; parts of Mendocino National Forest impacted by the 2018 forest fires in Northern California’s Colusa County; across states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Odisha, and West Bengal in India; and along rivers and streams of the Pacific Northwest restores critical habitat for salmon, the primary food source of the endangered whales.
