Today Is Earth Day

Today is "Earth Day", a day when we recognize that we live on a fragile planet that needs our efforts to preserve it. Traditionally on this day, many local groups and individuals put forth efforts to help clean up parks, streets, creeks and streams from picking up litter to recycling discarded items.

Just how did Earth Day get started? Here's a brief history according to earthday.org:

"The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, activated 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed. Growing out of the first Earth Day, Earth Day Network (EDN) works with over 22,000 partners in 192 countries to broaden, diversify and mobilize the environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world."

We can all make a difference today to help preserve our earth. Simple things like using a mug for coffee instead of a Styrofoam cup, recycling plastics, paper and metal, cleaning up any debris or litter in front of our homes and workplace, car pooling to work or "bundling" errands to avoid unnecessary driving trips, and encouraging others to do the same.