Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 in the United States every year and has been since 1970.
Earth Day “is an annual celebration that honors the achievements of the environmental movement and raises awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations,” according to nationalgeographic.org.
The first Earth Day celebration was started by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and Harvard student Denis Hayes in response to an oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast in 1969.
The first celebration had more than 20 million attendees and it paved the way for the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Hayes organized a global Earth Day event in 1990, with more than 200 million participants and over 140 countries. Now, Earth Day brings together activists and citizens around the world to raise awareness and bring action to issues including climate change, global warming, and renewable energy.
The Earth Day Network (EDN) brings together more than 20,000 people in 190 countries supporting the Earth Day messages year-round.
This year’s Earth Day theme is “Invest in Your Planet.”
“The theme is focused on engaging governments, institutions, businesses, and the more than 1 billion citizens who participate annually in Earth Day to do their part – everyone accounted for, everyone accountable,” said the Earth Day website.
There are many events held locally for Earth Day celebrations.
The school library has a book display for Earth Day, primarily featuring dystopian books including “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner, “The 5th Wave” by Rick Yancy, and “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, with the prompt, “Take care of the Earth, unless you want this to be your future…”
The Elmira Grange, at 88764 Sprague Street, will be holding an Earth Day celebration on April 22 and will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There is a virtual Earth Day run throughout April that will benefit Wild Earth Allies. This event costs $19.99 and you can register here: Virtual Run.
There will be a Green Living Fair at the Cottage Grove Armory, located at 628 East Washington Avenue. It will happen on April 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
They are requesting a $2 entry fee, but it is not required. There will be an auction, art show, booths, and more. For more information visit: Green Living.
Every year the Veneta Park Board and Veneta Elementary School hold an Earth Day event at the school. There was also an Earth Science event for elementary students at the Fern Ridge Library on April 18 for elementary students.
There are also many ways you can celebrate Earth Day personally and through your daily living. This can include cleaning up trash in your neighborhood, recycling, planting trees, using clean products, planting native plants and wildflowers, stop using pesticides, practicing water conservation, supporting the local pollinators, donating to environmental nonprofits, gardening, supporting local farms, exploring the natural wonders of the Earth, and so much more!
