April 22 is Earth Day. Earth Day is the day designated to celebrate the earth and nature, to bring awareness to the earth's environment and to air and water pollution which threaten it.
Though Earth Day is April 22, it is celebrated throughout the year by White Rock School in Jane. Under the direction of Joyce Pacheco, fifth and sixth grade teacher, gardens and trees are planted and multiple items are recycled including plastic bottles, markers, cell phones, laser and inkjet cartridges, small electronics, paper and cardboard.
These students are among all students who have the most important stake in keeping our planet healthy. They'll be the caretakers of the planet long after today's adults are gone.
Earth Day represents a future for generations to come by keeping the environment we all occupy healthy and sustainable.
Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 174 countries by over a half billion people. People celebrate the earth not only on Earth Day, but on every day of the year by being environmentally conscious through daily actions.
Some of those actions include:
• carry a reusable water bottle (according to the Dopper Foundation, "6,000 single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away every four seconds in the U.S. and only roughly 20 percent are recycled). Carrying a personal water bottle that can be filled up with tap water can cut down on waste as well as save money.
• unplug electronics after you're done using them, e.g., microwaves, televisions and cell phone chargers draw power even when you are not using them. According to the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences, "you can cut down on this so-called "vampire power" by simply unplugging devices when they are not in use, or buying a smart power strip that will do this for you.
• replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Star program, says "replacing just one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent will save $40 in energy costs over the lifetime of the bulb. Compact fluorescent bulbs use about 75 percent less energy, produce 75 percent less heat and last at least six times as long as standard bulbs."
• bike to school or work. According to BikesBelong.org, "for every one mile on a bike instead of in a car, you can save one pound of CO2."
• plant a tree. Planting a tree can help lessen pollution and provide shade to help reduce urban "heat islands" which are harmful to human health. According to the Arbor Environmental Alliance, "over the course of a year, a single tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon, making them some of the cheapest and most effective means of reducing CO2."
History
Senator Gaylord Nelson (1916-2005), former senator from Wisconsin, is remembered as the founder of Earth Day.
In 1970, Nelson proposed action "to rid America of the massive pollution from internal combustion engines, hard pesticides, detergent pollution, aircraft pollution and nonreturnable containers, by creating a new environmental advocacy agency to involve citizens in environmental policy activities, to reduce ocean pollution by regulating oil drilling, to establish an environmental education program for all levels of education, to develop mass transit to reduce the use of private automobiles, to adopt a national land use policy involving all levels of government to reduce chaotic urban sprawl, industrial expansion, and air, water, land, and visual pollution; to establish national air and water quality policies, create a nonpartisan national environmental political action organization to encourage public involvement at all levels of government."
In 1995, Nelson was awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. President Bill Clinton presented the award and said, as the father of Earth Day, Nelson is the grandfather of all that resulted including the Environmental Protection Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, which was proposed by President Richard Nixon and began operation on Dec. 2, 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order.
Community on 04/16/2015