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April 22nd is Earth Day!

3/31/2008

 

April 22nd, 2008 is Earth Day!



  


Each year we celebrate Earth Day on April 22.  It marks the anniversary of the modern environmental movement in 1970.  In September 1969 U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment.  He first proposed the nationwide environmental protest to thrust the environment onto the national agenda. Since then, we’ve made great progress.


 


Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.  As the millennium approached, global warming and a push for clean energy were focused on. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an estimated billion people participating in the activities all over the world.


 


Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress. Earth Day is a time to unite around new actions. Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet.


 


Encourage your children to become active.  Have them visit websites such as http://www.epa.gov/students/ or http://www.epa.gov/kids/ to learn more about Earth Day and how they can help.


 


Here are some earth friendly ideas for kids to celebrate Earth Day every day


 



  • Enlist friends, hand out bags and clean up a nearby park.
  • Plant shrubs or a tree in your yard.
  • Start a vegetable garden in pots.
  • Organize a cleanup day at your school.
  • Create posters with environmental themes and ask teachers to post them.
  • Look for recycling symbols on products. Purchase items in recyclable packaging whenever possible and avoid products that use excessive packaging.
  • Encourage your parents to carry a reusable shopping bag.
  • Bicycle or walk to school rather than being driven by your parents (as long as your parents feel it’s safe).
  • Turn off lights, fans or the TV when you leave the room (unless your little brother is still in there!)
  • Check your home for leaky faucets and volunteer to help fix them.
  • Don’t leave water running while brushing your teeth.
  • Use a broom instead of a hose to clean the driveway or sidewalk.
  • Deflect heat in the summer by lower the blinds when the sun comes up.
  • Offer to replace air filters. A clean filter helps the air conditioner run more efficiently.

 


Participating in activities as a family would be a great way to teach your children about respecting our planet while having fun. So get out there! Remember, even though Earth Day is on April 22nd, Earth Day is Every Day!


 


 


Sources: U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Earthday Network / www.earthday.net


 

 

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