Residents are invited to join #EarthDaySingOut and #GreenIsForGratitude solidarity actions

Earth Day has been celebrated with large, public gatherings worldwide for 50 years. This year, climate activists in Davis, Yolo, Solano, and Sacramento counties are joining their voices in song and taking action from their homes in defense of a healthier environment.

“Music, art, and political action are time-tested ways for societies to make sense of hard times and change.” said artist Danielle Fodor.  “More than ever, people need to feel connected to each other and nurture our mental health. Through singing we can express a range of emotions including joy, sorrow, compassion and solidarity.”

The Earth Day Sing Out will be held April 22, from 12-1 pm and 5-6 pm, and throughout the day whenever people want to sing.  Community members are invited to learn and practice from a collection of over 30 Earth Day songs selected by an intergenerational group of climate activists. Songs ranging from uplifting to spiritual to kid-friendly in nature are available on the Climate Strike Davis website (www.climatestrikedavis.com) organized as an online songbook with lyrics and recordings. Seven songs were chosen to “unify” singers that are sheltering in place but want to express their unity with this global movement.

“The irony of this time is that while we shelter in our homes, this experience of fighting to keep humanity safe from the Coronavirus has unified us more than ever. Through lifting our voices in unison we can express this interconnectedness,” said Hannah de la Calle with Sunrise Movement Davis, a student-let movement advocating for a Green New Deal.

Project partner, the Davis Independent Music Initiative, is collecting funds to sponsor local musicians to record Earth Day songs released from now all the way to the May 9th Whole Earth Festival weekend using the #earthdaysingout hashtag on social media. Funds can be donated to paypal.me/DavisIMI to support local musicians who’ve lost work in this crisis.

Musicians (and anyone who loves to sing) is invited to post a short video to YouTube, either from the songbook or their own earth song, adding a call for action and the hashtags #earthdaysingoutdavis, #earthdaysingout, and #earthday2020. KDRT-LP at 95.7 FM will feature the recordings for folks to sing-a-long at home.

Davis community members are also launching #Greenisforgratitude, a project to express appreciation to public health and service workers on the frontlines of responding to the pandemic. Green ribbons will be tied to light poles and trees along with visual messages of love, compassion, and gratitude. Residents can request a ribbon online at climatestrikedavis@gmail.com and a sanitized #greenisforgratidue kit will be delivered to homes.

Organizers also point out that many lessons can be applied to tackling the looming climate crisis from the political response to COVID-19. Sunrise activist Esme Hassell-Thean argues, “Now is the most challenging but important time to voice our concerns and communicate our needs to elected officials. The solutions aren’t simple, but a People’s Bailout and Green New Deal would address people’s most pressing needs and pave the way for a future for all.”

The Climate Reality Project and Sunrise Davis will be partnering to host a series of workshops on the connectedness between the COVID and climate crises, starting on Sunday, April 19th at 2pm, via Zoom. More information can be found on the Climate Strike Davis website.

“Now more than ever it’s important for us to connect our community in joy, solidarity, and care while taking action to protect our planet and our global family,” said Faith Attaguile with Extinction Rebellion Sacramento.

“We’ve planned these solidarity actions to shine the light of love and joy on each other through song and show gratitude and support for all our COVID- 19 frontline heroes — from nurses and doctors to mothers, fathers, friends and youth — those modeling today the values our communities must reflect tomorrow.”

This celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day is organized by Climate Strike Davis, Sunrise Davis Hub, Extinction Rebellion Sacramento,  Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice, Davis Independent Music Initiative, Mothers Out Front, and the Climate Reality Project Corps at UC Davis, with support from Cool Davis.

Contact: Esme Hassell-Thaen, 916-600-2942 or Danielle Fodor, 530-302-7143

 Climate Strike Davis is an intergenerational group of people who work for climate justice through street actions, community outreach and political renewal. Visit ClimateStrikeDavis.com or email: www.climatestrikedavis.com.