NCP Blog: Celebrating Our Planet

Earth Day is Saturday, April 22nd. A day to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote actions to protect our planet.

 

How did Earth Day come about?

 

I did some research on the origin of Earth Day and found this excerpt from the earthday.org site that I thought explains it well.

 

“Senator Gaylord Nelson, the junior senator from Wisconsin, had long been concerned about the deteriorating environment in the United States.  Then in January 1969, he and many others witnessed the ravages of a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, Senator Nelson wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution. Senator Nelson announced the idea for a teach-in on college campuses to the national media, and persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair.  They recruited Denis Hayes, a young activist, to organize the campus teach-ins and they choose April 22, a weekday falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, to maximize the greatest student participation.

 

Did you know that Earth Day is now celebrated in more than 190 countries around the world? Wow!

 

Ways to make it Earth Day every day

 

Protecting the environment matters. Here are some things you can do to protect the Earth every day*.

 

–  Look for ways you can Reduce, Reuse and Recycle throughout your home. You’ll save natural resources, energy and money, and you’ll reduce waste sent to landfills.

 

–  Conserve energy. Turn off lights and electronics when not in use.

 

– Reduce paper waste and junk mail. Think twice before printing things at work and home. You can also reduce mail by using online payment options that avoid paper bills.

 

– Recycle your electronics. Old, unused or broken computers, tablets, phones and other electronics can often be recycled for free by stores, manufacturers and local governments, which saves natural resources while also reducing pollution.

 

– Give your car a break. Walk, ride a bike, carpool or take public transportation.

 

– Turn off the tap. Turn off the water when it’s not needed, for example, when brushing your teeth.

 

– Replace light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) and LED bulbs may cost more than incandescent bulbs, but they will save money over the long run, last longer, and use up to 90 percent less energy.

 

– Get involved in environmental work in your local community.

 

*Source: abbot.com

 

 

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