There seems to be a lot of confusion around the word “earth” and even when talking about the planet, somehow, Earth isn’t getting the respect it deserves as a proper place with a name. For Earth Day, here’s why you should pledge to give Earth the respect it deserves, by capitalizing it properly.

When reading popular novels and articles, Earth seems to have been demoted at a time when concern over its and our future really ought to be a priority.

Some may argue not to capitalize, “What on Earth?” but we should think about it. What are we talking about? We’re definitely not talking about, “What on dirt?” or “What on soil?” We are saying (in shorthand), “What on (this planet we live on) Earth?’ as in, “What on God’s green Earth is going on here?”

So, in the same spirit of empowerment that editors such as the AP Style Guide have been changing “black” to “Black” in the last few years, let’s remember that this wonderful planet that sustains our very being deserves, just like Venus, Mars, and Neptune, to be capitalized anytime you mean “on all of this planet” and possibly even when you’re talking about your Earthly remains (which are mostly comprised of water, not earth).

Now, if a tiny splash of the planet gets on you, say as in when a dog friend jumps on you, that’s when you’re going to say “earth” and mean it! 

Words, and Earth, matter.

On Earth Day, pledge to act, and speak up in defense of Earth going forward (perhaps with pencils on offending library books). 

We’ll close this blog by pointing out that many bird advocacy groups have decided that every bird should be capitalized. So, a scrub jay is now a Scrub Jay. That’s still being debated, and if we decide to go along, we’ll soon be writing about Black Bears for consistency. But, we’re making a stand for Earth on Earth Day first.

Finally, if you don’t much care about the power of words, then please jump straight to the most effective thing you can do by far to help Earth. Read our resource on how the climate crisis is devastating animals right now, how our massive human overpopulation problem is driving all of it, and some things you can do to mitigate the damage.

If you don’t need to be convinced that words matter, please check out our Guardian Campaign.

Thank you for caring!