Nearly Three Billion Acts of Greenness

Earth Day is coming up again, making its annual visit on April 22. Why should you take time out of your busy day to acknowledge the event and to participate in a small, yet meaningful way?

Unlike most commercialized holidays which require you to invest your hard-earned funds into cards that will be discarded as soon as the treasure inside is revealed, Earth Day just requires the inhabitants of Earth to simply take a grateful moment to add to the “Green Movement.” Whether we’re everyday recyclers and re-users or you are in the habit of living large, without cares concerning our planet, Earth Day is the day to pay homage to Mother Earth with a simple act of love towards her and your fellow neighbors, family, and friends who are all in this big game of life on this beautiful planet, Earth.

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and eventually gave way to the inception of the Environmental Protection Agency, in an era where people were becoming more aware of the carbon footprint they were leaving. Today’s celebrations include lofty goals of planting over seven billion trees and reaching a remarkable three billion “green” acts done by everyday citizens. Of course, a long-term strategy for conservation and preservation of earth’s precious natural assets is really the goal when the Earth Day Network first began its efforts, and 46 years later, several major advancements in the environmental movement can be traced back to that first Earth Day Celebration in 1970 and include the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and more.

So what can you do locally to mark the occasion? There are a multitude of ideas provided by the Earth Day Network which include planting a tree, making concerted efforts to recycle the majority of your garbage and plastics, and begin composting leftover food scraps. If everyone were to use a refillable water bottle instead of throwing away billions of plastic bottles a year, imagine the difference that would make in our landfills. Plant a garden, and if that means beginning with one or two of your favorite fruits or vegetables and expanding later, then just get it started on Earth Day. Once you realize the literal fruits of your labor, you’ll be planting more selections before you know it. If you have the opportunity to bike or walk to school or work, then now is the perfect time of year to not only cut down on gas consumption and exhaust emissions from cars, but you can also reap the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Locally there will be celebrations in honor of Earth Day including the 27th Annual Sarasota Earth Day Celebration at Oscar Scherer State Park which will be held on April 23 from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Admission to the park is free on Earth Day and guests will be treated to live music, nature and ecology based events, food and, of course, the best of natural Florida wildlife and greenery. Whichever way you choose to celebrate Earth Day, remember that one small act of conservation might seem insignificant, but when all of Mother Earth’s residents join in, the results will be wide scale and staggering. Let’s all join together on April 22nd to do our part in what has become a global movement to protect and preserve Planet Earth.

Photos: For Earth Day by Kylie Jaxxon on Flickr, commercial use allowed
The World is Mine Day 37/365 by Steven Guzzardi on Flickr, commercial use allowed