April 22nd is Earth Day, a celebration honoring our beautiful planet and the importance of keeping her healthy. The tradition began in 1970 when a United States Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson started the initiative and became the founder of this first ever, global celebration. His mission was to teach others the importance of maintaining and sustaining our natural resources after the massive 1969 oil spill in California. During this time, vehicles were also sucking down massive consumptions of gas, air pollution was on an upward skew and the concept of global warming had sudden become a threat.
With the help of a Republican Congressman, Pete McClosky and a Harvard professor, Nelson was able to devise a team that would promote events around the country to peacefully protest the need to preserve our home. For the first time in ages, both parties of government joined together as well as different diversities, ethnicities, religions and financial realms to serve a common purpose. People from all over marched in the streets holding signs to advertise the need for new legislature, which would protect our natural environment. The outcome was successful and led the way for “The Clean Air Act”, “Endangered Species Act” and “The Clean Water Act” to become legalized. Although there is still much work to do, every year Earth Day participants seek to push this important initiative and show their love for our planet.
If you’re not up for joining a demonstration but want to celebrate Earth Day just the same, there are plenty of fun ways to do it! The most common activity is to plant a tree, which helps cultivate new wildlife, vegetation and better air quality. You can also start a garden and include flowers that attract bees or make “seed bombs” and disperse them around your yard. For those who don’t have a green thumb, there are several other options to support the holiday, which can simply mean fixing leaky faucets around the house, starting a compost collection or recycling paper products and tin cans. Forgoing driving and walking or biking for the day will also raise awareness as well as swapping your electric phone chargers for solar powered units. Become smarter buying groceries, build a birdhouse and simply picking up litter you see on the ground are also easy ways to get involved.
Families should keep in mind the spirit of Earth Day by teaching their children the concerns facing our home and how we can all do our part to implement solutions! April 22nd is all about educating one another about the importance of our environment and one easy way to accomplish this is by spending time in the outdoors. Go for a hike or a walk in the woods and expose your kids to the beautiful natural wonders that surround us everyday!