Looking after spaceship #Earth
If you’ve taken a stroll through our acclaimed exhibition at Maropeng, you would have spotted an oft-photographed quote from communications theorist, Marshall McLuhan: “There are no passengers on spaceship Earth. We are all crew.”
Spaceship Earth is top of mind for people across the world this month, in the run-up to Earth Day on 22 April 2015.
Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States on 22 April 1970. According to the Earth Day Network (which the United Nations recognises as the global organisers of the movement), a US senator, Gaylord Nelson, came up with the idea after a massive oil spill along the Santa Barbara coast in 1969.
The United Nations passed a resolution in 2009, after the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, officially recognising International Mother Earth Day.
Here are what some global organisations are gearing up to for Earth Day:
Show @NASA YOUR Earth! Celebrate Earth Day with us by showing us there’s #NoPlaceLikeHomehttp://t.co/qSaZgHsyw5pic.twitter.com/PFoRkFF4IU
— NASAexplores (@NASAexplores) 6 April 2015
#EarthDay - Let’s make changes in our everyday lives that help keep #plastic out of the ocean http://t.co/PvBxo13VyTpic.twitter.com/DSAIMzBqHM
— Project AWARE (@projectaware) 6 April 2015
Our spokeshominid, Harry, has been vocal about the environment for years. Here are his tips on how to be a responsible traveller.
Maropeng has earned its green stripes. Not only are we a certified Fair Trade Tourism destination, we’re also spreading the word about sustainability in our exhibition.
What are you doing this Earth Day? Let Harry know on Twitter, and we’ll tell the world!