Earth Day 2021: What will you do?

We are at a turning point. The lockdowns of the past year have shown what we can achieve through collective action in tackling the pandemic, saving lives and protecting our NHS.

They also showed us how we, together, can benefit from these changes in other ways, from working flexibly, cycling more often, and shopping locally. In doing so, we significantly reduced our carbon footprint.

However, in returning to normality, we are in danger of undoing this significant achievement. Carbon emissions are set to soar in 2021. For this Earth Day, we want to encourage people to build on what we’ve learnt and make a long-term difference to our lives, our communities and our planet.

Eastern Arc is about working together for the benefit of all. Our vision is to deliver real and tangible change through a close collaboration to address pressing issues of sustainable development.

As we face the climate emergency, we need to act now, and we need to act together. By collaborating, we can achieve more than if we acted alone. By sharing our resources, our knowledge and our skills, we will be more effective in overcoming the specific challenges to a sustainable, peaceful and equitable future.

Today we’ll be highlighting the simple but effective work going on across our universities, from the University of Essex’s call to look at what each of us can do, Kent’s work to address the simple but unnecessary act of idling in traffic, and UEA’s new climate programme which will work with young people across the region to find solutions to the world’s most pressing issue.

Join us, and let’s make sure that the the positive changes to our lives positive changes to our lives become the positive change for the planet.