On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across the United States took to the streets for the first ever Earth Day.

55 years on, this annual, global event continues to raise awareness of environmental issues, encouraging everyone to work together to protect our planet.

This year’s theme is Our Power, Our Planet, which calls for an increase in the use of renewable energy sources, like hydropower, wind, and solar.

Our Power, Our Planet

Using more renewable energy can help reduce the need for fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, which release greenhouse gases when burned, adding to the problem of climate change.

Earth Day’s organizers hope to inspire governments and corporations to take action to make energy production more sustainable in the future.

Every year, renewable energy technology improves,but what happens to the older tech when it’s no longer needed?

Wind turbines can last around 25 years, before they need to be replaced.

And often old blades end up buried in landfill sites.

But an energy company in Sweden hopes to change that by exploring different ways of recycling the turbine blades.

One idea — turn them into skis!

They’ve partnered with a Norwegian company who take carbon fibers from turbine blades, and use them to reinforce their skis.

Carbon fibers are strong and lightweight, making them an ideal material for this kind of sports equipment.

On its own, this small project won’t solve the problem of blades being sent to landfill.

But it shows how new ideas could help to make renewable energy even more sustainable in the future.

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