This year’s Earth Day celebrations saw worldwide marches in support of science and scientific research.
Similar to the Women’s March, this event was headquartered in Washington D.C. but saw satellite events in all 50 states and across the globe. In fact, there were over 600 registered marches on the organization’s website.
Although the marches weren’t necessarily directly aimed at Trump, there’s no denying the connection. Organizers categorized the event as “political but nonpartisan.” In fact, many of the marches did not feature any political speakers, but rather welcomed the words of various researchers and individuals who work in the field. As science strives to be a non-biased field of study, this was a conscious choice by the various organizers.
Perhaps the most highly anticipated speech of the series came from beloved scientist Bill Nye. He took the stage to speak at the D.C. march. He addressed the interdisciplinary nature of science and it’s relation to public policy. He encouraged lawmakers to recognize that “science serves every one of us.”
Bill Nye continues to bring science to the masses through his new Netflix show, Bill Nye Saves the World.
The march was an overall successful event in showing the vast support for the scientific study, the relevance of research to our world, and the unwavering drive to fight for what is right.
Even though the march is over, our support should not stop there. If actively participating in scientific research isn’t your thing, there are still ways you can support important causes to the science community.
As Bill reminded us, science isn’t an isolated field of study, its impact touches everyone, across almost all industries and causes. Donate time or money to causes and interests that may be at risk. For example, Earth Day may be over, but there are easy ways you can make an impact to go green, from reducing meat consumption to planting bee-friendly plants.
