Earth Day, April 22
Public health advocates across the state have an opportunity to raise awareness about the devastating consequences to our environment of commercial tobacco growing, manufacturing, and use.
Smoke/Tobacco-Free Earth Day Events
ABOUT THE EVENT
Each year, CYAN supports local and campus-based activities hosted on or around Earth Day to increase awareness of the devastating impact commercial tobacco has on the environment. Similar to the 2020 event, the 2021 event will be mostly virtual as many colleges and universities remain closed to in-person learning due to COVID-19.
CYAN offers free support and resources to any college campus that would like to host an event and raise awareness on their campus. By registering with CYAN for Earth Day, campuses will receive: free tote bags to give to students on campus (if interested), Event Toolkit with event ideas and forms, educational materials, and social media resources.
This year’s theme is “Protect Our Planet: The Earth is Not Disposable” which focuses on educating youth, young adults, and campus communities on the impact of disposable vaping devices and single-use plastic products (e.g., pods) on the environment.
REGISTRATION
Registration for this event is closed.
LEARN MORE
Get educated on how commercial tobacco impacts the environment.
Read these Vape Waste and the Environment Key Messages
Read this fact sheet on The Burden of Tobacco on the Environment - Single-use Plastics and Disposable Vapes.
View the videos below to learn more about the various ways commercial tobacco harms the environment and the effects of nicotine vape waste on the environment.
PLEDGE TO BE TOBACCO-FREE
Commit to supporting a healthier planet by living tobacco-free. Use this pledge template on Instagram to share what you will do on Earth Day instead of using tobacco. Instructions on how to use the pledge template can be found here.
SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Use your social media pages to share information about tobacco’s impact on the environment. Consider sharing the The Earth is Not Disposable: Nicotine Vape Waste video, posting one (or more!) of the messages below, or use the Key Messages resource to create a new post. Need help with posting messages? Contact info@cyanonline.org or follow @cyanonline on Instagram for more information.
ENCOURAGE QUIT ATTEMPTS
Support friends and families in quitting tobacco. Quit tips and resources for youth and young adults are available at cyanonline.org/quit-tobacco. All Californians can get help quitting at www.nobutts.org or www.novapes.org.
CLEAN UP YOUR COMMUNITY
Walk around your neighborhood and community (practicing proper social distancing) and clean up tobacco waste. Make sure to wear gloves and bring an air-tight container to hold the waste. Take note of the types of products you are picking up and where, for example, near a park or school. Share your findings with with coalition members, community leaders, and the media.
EDUCATE DECISION MAKERS
Reach out to local decision makers, state legislators, and campus administrators and educate them on how tobacco use impacts your local communities. Working on a smoke/tobacco-free policy? Utilize information about tobacco’s impact on the environment to further encourage smoke/tobacco-free policy adoption and to create a plan to reopen smoke/tobacco-free.
Event Resources for College and University Campuses
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, CYAN has updated the following resources to accomodate events on campuses that are closed to in-person learning or may have hybrid operations with limited students and staff on campus. While the following resources include ideas specific to colleges and universities, activities can be modified for community use.
This Earth Day Toolkit provides a collection of ideas for hosting in-person and virtual events on campus. The Toolkit includes information on tobacco and vape waste on the environment; Earth Day event ideas for education, advocacy, and tobacco treatment; Key Messages on the negative impact of e-cigarettes on the environment; and other resources to support your campus events.
EARTH DAY TOOLKIT - FULL PDF
We encourage all campuses to host Cigarette Butt Pickup Events in the weeks leading up to Earth Day. Collected butts can be displayed in a clear, smell-proof container at your event. If you've collected and saved butts over the years, your display can show your campus community the progress that you've made over the years. If this is your first time collecting butts, your display will show your campus that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.
CYAN CIGARETTE BUTT PICKUP EVENT PROTOCOL
By using CYAN's Cigarette Butt Pickup Event Protocol each year, you will be able to accurately compare your results year after year.