It’s spring and it’s time for Earth Day again. April 22 was named Earth Day by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. By 1990, it went international and it is coordinated now by Earth Day Network. The United Nations (U.N.) designated April 22 as International Mother Earth Day in 2009.
Why April 22? Actually, many communities celebrate the entire week, known as Earth Week. Senator Nelson felt that was a good time to maximize the day for college campuses. It didn’t interfere with exams or spring holidays, but the time was late enough in the year for the weather to be nice for outdoor activities.
The theme for this year is A Billion Acts of Green. The hope is that a billion acts of environmental service will be done before Rio +20, the U.N. conference on sustainable development which will be from June 4 until June 6.
So what is the Billion Acts of Green all about? People can go online to the Billion Acts of Green web page and pledge to do simple things like change their settings in their house to save energy, or stop buying bottled water. One person pledged to turn off the faucet instead of letting it run and waste water. There were people the pledged to eat more local food, bring the reusable shopping bags to the store, or take shorter showers.
If you want to pledge but aren’t sure how you can help the environment, check out the web page. They have sections on Green schools and education, advocacy, energy, transportation, sustainable development, conservation and biodiversity, recycling and waste reduction, and water. You can find plenty of simple ways to change your lifestyle to be green.
The web site also lists current and upcoming events for Earth Day, such as the San Francisco Earth Day Festival tomorrow, the Arkansas Earth Day Festival, Earth Day in Delhi, and Kansas City Earth Day.