Today Is Earth Day

So many people are celebrating Earth Day today! It really is heart warming to see that more and more people are consciously making an effort to find ways to celebrate this 41 year old idea. Believe it or not, I do remember the first Earth Day.

At the time, I was in Junior High. We were given the afternoon off to go out into our community and perform some act of 'cleaning'. Many planted trees. Others swept streets. Since we lived near the beach, my choice was to give it a good once over. A group of friends accompanied by our parents, went off to be 'beach cleaners' for the day. We walked along the shoreline and beach front as we picked up any trash we could find. This, for me, was the beginning of a lifetime of concern and respect for the environment.

Over the years, Earth Day has fallen in and out of popularity. However, over the past 15 years, it's making a come back. And thankfully, a stronger awareness is abound. With the dawn of the internet, Earth Day is far reaching. More and more articles and service announcements are being made to help people realize how simple acts can make a big impact toward helping the environment.

Earth Day history dates back to April 22,1970. It was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a then, Senator from Wisconsin. He saw the damage Santa Barbara, CA endured after a massive oil spill in 1969. At the time, many people were protesting the war in Vietnam. Senator Nelson thought he could gear those protests toward environmental protection then move it onto the national political agenda. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media. Events were planned across America and Earth Day was born.

So what are you doing for Earth Day? Here is a list of ideas to start. Leave your comments and tell us what you did.
1. Bike to work.
2. Clean up a park, beach, street, or neighborhood.
3. Use cloth bags when grocery shopping instead of plastic
4. Use cloth to clean up around the house instead of paper towels.
5. Buy products made from recycled materials.
6. Carpool for events, work, play.
7. Walk instead of driving when possible.
8. Use mass transit if it's available for you.
9. Plant a tree.(Lowe's is giving away free trees today!)
10.Start a garden.

These are just a few of the many ways you can celebrate earth day.

Happy Earth Day!



http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement