You Can Adopt A Piece Of The Planet To Celebrate Earth Day

If you don’t know how you’re going to celebrate Earth Day *and* you’ve ever wished you could be a parent without the immediate responsibility, have I got news for you. In honor of Earth Day, you can adopt a piece of the Earth. NASA's Adopt the Planet campaign is making it happen, and given what dire straits our planet is in right now... well, there's no time like the present.

April 22 will be here sooner than you realize. You don’t want to be stuck figuring out last minute Earth Day plans again. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Earth Day as an adult, but adopting a piece of the planet is arguably the most adorable.

NASA recently announced the Adopt the Planet campaign in honor of Earth Day 2017. There are 64,000 different virtual pieces of the planet now available for you to adopt. How much will a 55-mile-wide piece of this beautiful pale blue dot we call home run you financially? Zero human dollars.

When you virtually adopt a piece of the Earth (again, for free), you’ll get an official certificate with your name, the date of adoption, and the identification number of your new little bundle of Earth. You’ll also see measurements for your newly adopted portion of the planet, like relative humidity and carbon monoxide level. You can also print your certificate out or share it across social. Flooding everyone’s feeds with pics is just part of your assumed obligation as a new parent.

You’ll receive exact coordinates of your adopted piece of land or water if you want to search them on Google Maps or put them in your baby book. However, you might want to hold off on booking a ticket to claim your piece of the planet, as this adoption process doesn’t entitle you to any actual legal or ownership rights.

I’m now the proud adoptive parent of piece of Earth #33967. At 25.68 degrees North and 28.8 degrees East, I already feel protective of my little piece of the planet. Its root soil moisture level is low, and its carbon monoxide level is not great, but I love it all the same. Like any parent, I’m already worried about its future. Like, super worried.

NASA hopes the campaign will give people a new perspective on the planet, using satellite imagery to show places on the globe that would otherwise impossible to experience. In addition to helping people become better educated on parts of the Earth, the Adopt the Planet campaign frames our obligation to the planet in a new way. Virtual adoption certificate or not, we’re all very much responsible for the Earth.