“Every day is Earth Day.”
Jackson Smith, UCLA campus organizer and staff member of California Public Interest Research Group, or CALPIRG, says Earth Day provides Bruins with a chance to prioritize educating themselves and engage with organizations.
April 22 marks the official Earth Day, a day dedicated to promoting environmental awareness since 1970. Earth Day’s theme in 2026 is “Our Power, Our Planet”. This year’s theme reminds citizens that environmental progress is sustained by the daily actions of families, organizations, clubs and individuals working to protect the planet on which we live and work. It conveys that everyone has the responsibility and power to make environmentally sustainable choices to support a better future for the Earth.
It is important that students everywhere, and especially at UCLA, take the time to understand current efforts towards environmental health, sustainability and ways of getting involved. This Earth Day should highlight the initiatives of students who dedicate their time towards working for a healthier planet and who embody this year’s theme.
CALPIRG is an on-campus organization at UCLA that operates across eight of the nine UC campuses. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating real change in environmental issues through research and action. The organization also prioritizes issues involving students.
An interview with Smith provided deeper insight into CALPIRG’s recent and ongoing actions at UCLA, as well as reminders for this year’s upcoming Earth Day.
Smith emphasizes that at UCLA, CALPIRG has prioritized student needs by consistently working to make textbooks affordable and ensuring that students are registered and eligible to vote. All the while, giving back to the larger community through hunger and homelessness campaigns and a recent initiative to make the Los Angeles Olympics single-use plastic free.
CALPIRG’s top campaign over the past year is focused on ocean protection. In this time, CALPIRG helped pass a plastic grocery bag ban in California that was enacted Jan. 1, under Senate Bill 1053. Within this campaign, CALPIRG is lobbying for expansions and strengthening of marine protections in a pre-existing weak policy. One of their main concerns during this ocean protection campaign is the drastic loss of ecosystems, including kelp forests. “We’ve just lost 90% in the last ten years off of California’s coast. 14%, if you’re looking just at Norcal since 2014,” said Smith.
CALPIRG has all hands on deck to address issues with California’s Fish and Game Commission that conducts a review of the state’s Marine Protected Area, or MPA, network every 10 years. As the state approaches the next 10-year review, insisting on updated protections is a pressing issue at CALPIRG.
Despite their significant initiatives on both the campus and state-wide levels, change is ongoing and students need to stay informed, especially with the abundance of opportunities for participation on Earth Day. Despite saying “Every day is Earth Day,” Smith urges UCLA students to prioritize educating themselves on the environment. For people who don’t engage with environmental activism often, Earth Day is a great way to become involved with organizations and support environmental sustainability. Illuminating this year’s theme of “Our Power, Our Planet”, each person plays a role in changing the trajectory of environmental harm to support a healthier future.
On April 22, CALPIRG will not only speak to elementary school students about environmental issues but will also host a “Climate Cafe” table at UCLA. Students across the campus have the opportunity to participate and build on CALPIRG’s efforts this Earth Day. As environmentalism is a shared responsibility, all UCLA students are encouraged to get involved this Earth Day and take part in both creating meaningful change and appreciating the efforts of organizations like CALPIRG.
