Can Environmentalism Make Sense Again?

By Sarah T Davies, director of communications & media, EARTHDAY.ORG

At a time when climate-related headlines often read like obituaries for our planet, Earth Day 2025 offered something rare – a reason for hope. Not the naïve optimism that suggests salvation is assured, but rather compelling evidence that we can make people act for good when we get the messaging right. 

This lesson isn’t new – it’s been Earth Day’s secret weapon from the beginning. Earth Day started 55 years ago, in 1970, initially as a student-led campaign to demand action on cleaner air and water. Organizers picked April 22 to mark Earth Day as it fell between spring break and final exams and they were hoping this would  maximize the greatest student participation. 

There was no political litmus test to join the march.  It wasn’t driven by climate scientists, policy experts, or environmental professionals. It saw a staggering 20 million everyday Americans out on the streets demonstrating —Democrats and Republicans, factory workers, teachers, farmers, firemen, parents, grandparents and college students—all united by a simple urgent message: we need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. 

This year proved that formula still works. When we unite behind a common cause, partisan-free with language that stops dividing people into “them” and “us,” we are far more effective at getting our message to stick.   

A language of solutions

Earth Day 2025  focused on the universal benefits of renewable energy: millions of new jobs, greater energy independence and lower electricity bills. This clearly resonated, and here’s why:  A recent Power Lines and Ipsos poll  revealed in March,  just weeks before Earth Day, that 73% of Americans worry about rising energy costs, with nearly two-thirds reporting higher gas and electric bills in the past year. More than 60% said they felt  increased financial stress on their families due to rising energy costs. The concerns were noted across political affiliations.

We know that people have not stopped caring, they just needed to be invited back into the conversation again in language that resonates with their daily lives, in ways that make things more personal and immediate. By stripping away the notion that environmentalism requires ideological “belief” and instead showcasing tangible results, we give people space to embrace the reality— making it a kitchen table issue that impacts every single person’s life, wealth, and future. This approach mirrors that first Earth Day in 1970.

By listening to people’s fears and then offering solutions that actually create economic opportunities – rather than prophesying climate apocalypse — environmentalism made more sense again.

Action Matters

This year over 100 mayors and elected officials, across red and deep blue districts representing over 33.5 million Americans, hosted sustainability roundtables. From Boise, Idaho, to Gainesville, Florida, communities discussed how they can make smart climate decisions through the lens of local job creation, renewable energy and neighborhood cleanups. 

Nashville, Tennessee is rapidly expanding clean energy production through rooftop solar installations on government buildings. Boise is leading Idaho’s clean energy transition with a goal of achieving 100% clean electricity by 2035, a fiscally responsible alternative to the $250 million annually that the community currently spends on energy. Mesquite, Texas, has attracted a Canadian Solar manufacturing plant to the area, generating over 1,500 new jobs. 

College campuses saw a 60% increase in Earth Day events over 2024, with the universities of Loyola, Southern Florida, Alabama, Utah, Arizona, and many more  joining the growing chorus of students marking Earth Day. 

For those of us in this movement, we have to keep showing up on Main Street. This doesn’t mean compromising on science or ambition. It means all of us in the movement have to speak in a language broad enough to build large-scale unity and respect.

The first Earth Day in 1970 launched a movement from the ground up that cleaned America’s air and water through landmark bipartisan legislation. The world followed suit. We need to return to that same inclusive approach — and none too soon.  The present administration is already slashing safeguards on water quality. That is an issue every single parent will care about. We need to make sure we take this message to every mayor’s  town hall meeting and every parent association meeting too.

We need determination and the strength of solutions, not slogans.  Earth Day is proof that when we get the message right, Americans are ready to act.

Opinion columns published in The New Lede represent the views of the individual(s) authoring the columns and not necessarily the perspectives of TNL editors.

(Featured photo by Sheri Silver on Unsplash.)