Earth Day 2026: Clear Waters, Stronger Communities
This year on Wednesday 22nd April 2026 we support Earth Day and this year’s message is Our Power, Our Planet. Every wild swimmer has a voice and a right to safe water to swim in. Our eco systems are being polluted, plastic in our oceans is still a catastrophic problem and we all can do our part even if you think one person can’t!
How To Help Earth Day Activities
Why not organise a clean up of your local spot? Get a group together to clean up the area and afterwards enjoy a swim. Open water swimmers can do various activities but over the years we have found the most rewarding for a swim community is to clean up their favourite swim spot.
Here is a simply way to support Earth Day 2026....
What Is Under Your Tow Float?
You would be amazed at what is under your neoprene as you swim through the water. One group decided to clean a very small section of Lough Neagh where they swim, and it was shocking what they found only a few feet below their tow floats. Old carpets, pots, glass bottles, tyres, nets, road cones and so much more.
Safe Water Should Not Be Taken For Granted
Safe water is not a luxury; it’s a shared right so protecting it starts with understanding how everyday choices ripple outward. Many of us take for granted our clean water. We don’t think about pollution when we go to our nearby lakes or rivers unless we are instructed not to enter the water. But imagine you drove down to the local shores, riverbank, or beach to find it covered in rubbish from people enjoying the area but failing to clear up after themselves. Would your tranquil waters hold the same appeal? If the water was full of blue algae making it toxic and dangerous, would you walk away and do nothing? Pollution comes in many forms, and warmer weather causes pollution levels to rise. Both from increased outdoor activity and also warmer water causing the algae blooms where water is heavy with polluting chemicals.
What Can You Do?
The good news is that meaningful change doesn’t require grand gestures. Small, consistent actions can collectively make a massive impact.
1. Rethink Single-Use Plastics. Choose reusable bottles, cups, and containers. A single reusable water bottle can replace hundreds of disposable ones each year. There are so many bright, stylish water bottles and travel mugs for coffee that can be reused time and again.
2. Pack Smart for Swim Trips. Bring food in reusable wraps, recyclable materials, avoid plastic packaging, and take everything back home with you to dispose of correctly.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly. Recycling helps, but only when done correctly. Learn your local recycling rules and where possible stop buying items with so much packaging. Tubeless toilet paper is the way forward!!
4. Swap, buy pre-loved clothes, and donate unwanted clothes. You would be surprised how many people put clothing they no longer wear in the bin where it will sit in a landfill site.
5. Create a pollinator garden. The Bee Movie came out nearly 20 years ago! But we are still shouting “Thinking Bee, Thinking Bee”! Plant gardens that support the pollinators.
For more ideas you can go to the Earth Day website where there is many activities, actions and ideas to support our planet.
Water doesn’t belong to one person, one community, or one country. It connects us all. Every plastic item avoided, every piece of litter removed, every piece of household rubbish recycled properly, and every conversation started about cleaner waters contributes to a larger shift. This Earth Day, think of your favourite swim spot and what it would be like if you could no longer be there safely due to pollution. Act now, do small things consistently and share them with others so they too can make a difference.