For over 50 years, on April 22, Earth Day has been celebrated across the country and the globe by rallying for environmental causes. It is a day focused on education, spreading awareness, and encouraging action toward the environmental movement.
What is this year's (2023) theme?
EARTHDAY.ORG (EDO), the global organizer of Earth Day and the most prominent recruiter of environmental movements worldwide, announced the theme for Earth Day 2023 as 'Invest in Our Planet.' The theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than 1 billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part.
How will ELM fit into this?
We at ELM feel especially connected to Earth Day. We have always incorporated nature-related imagery, such as the elm tree, green grass, and blue sky. Our core values involve nurturing our team, growing our products and services, and planting seeds for the future.
For this year's Earth Day, we asked our team members for their thoughts on how we should "invest in our planet," and an overwhelming majority of the team selected the National Forest Foundation as this year's charity of choice. In support their "50 Million for our Forests" campaign, ELM is donating $2,000 to plant 2,000 trees. That's one tree for each member of our community of schools, lenders, and team members.
About the National Forest Foundation:
The National Forest Foundation is the leading organization inspiring personal and meaningful connections to our National Forests, the centerpiece of America's public lands. Working on behalf of the American public, the NFF leads forest conservation efforts and promotes responsible recreation. These lands, and all they provide, are an American treasure and vital to our communities health.
In 2018, the NFF set a goal to plant 50 million trees by 2025. So far, they have planted 28.5 million trees and have 160 projects in 60 national forests across 26 states.
Check out our blog for other ways ELM has supported earth-related organizations for Earth Day.
"The Earth is what we ALL have in common."
- Wendell Berry, novelist