Apr 18 2009
Mark your calendar – April 22 is Earth Day – How are you going to treat Mother Earth?
From its early beginning in April of 1970 the celebration of Earth Day continues to raise awareness of the environmental issues that our earth faces. This year over 5 million people across 175 countries will celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day has become a global holiday for everyone regardless of your cultural heritage, religious affiliation or political beliefs. It is a special day where we can all celebrate together as stewards and caretakers of our earth.
The first Earth Day came about as a group of concerned citizens demonstrating their frustration with the degradation, destruction, and pollution of our planet. Stemming from that first Earth Day a series of laws were enacted such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water and Endangered Species act, just to name. However, probably the most important act was the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
Below are some simple yet worthy things you can do for mother Earth. Consider planning these events with your children to teach them the importance of being environmentally aware.
1: Clean-up - Whether it is a beach or a roadside, take a walk and pick up the trash lying around. Assign each person a specific type of trash such as glass, paper or metal so that you can instantly sort and recycle.
2: A Green and Healthy Home - Eliminate toxic common cleaning supplies with green alternatives. Unplug items when not in use, not only will this save you money but really does help in the reduction of generating power. Consider low flow shower heads to save water, are most precious resource. Make the switch from bottled water to filtered water and keep the plastics out of our oceans. There are many good filtration systems available on the market, and in the long run offers a real dollar savings.
3. How about a green lawn - Consider relinquishing some of your yard to nature, encouraging native plants or landscaping with self-tending groundcover or native grasses. Less lawn means less fertilizer leaching into the groundwater, less gasoline consumption in mowers, reduced water consumption and a more attractive environment for birds and other wildlife.
4. Bike or walk to work on April 22 -If possible take a bike to work. Not only will you feel energized for the day you have decreased your carbon footprint on the planet.
5. Plant a tree - Since mature trees can absorb roughly 48 pounds of CO2 a year and in turn release enough oxygen to sustain two people, planting a tree on your property is a positive and will continue to give back to the environment.
These are just a few things you can do to celebrate Earth Day. Celebrate it with your children to teach them the importance of being a good steward of our planet. You can download a free Earth Day activity and coloring book at Environmental Protection Agency site.
See how simple green living can be!
