There are two different days of the year that worldwide Earth Day celebrations are held.  The first Earth Day celebration started on April 22, 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson encouraged everyone to take responsibility for life on our planet.  Later, another observance began March 20th, 1978, when John McConnell established Earth Day around the time of the vernal equinox.   Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously throughout the world by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities.  There are now more than one-half billion people that participate in Earth Day network campaigns every year.

With the beginning of the April 22, 1970 movement, approximately 20 million Americans participated to reach the goal of a healthy, sustainable environment.  Up until this time, separate groups who had been fighting against polluting factories, power plants, toxic dumps, oil spills, wilderness loss and extinction of wildlife began to realize that they shared common goals.  Through the years and with the help of the worldwide web, the efforts of those concerned with the environment have multiplied.  Other concerns such as global warming and clean energy have now emerged, as well.

Some of the goals of these Earth Day movements are:

• A carbon-free future based on renewable energy that will end our common dependency on fossil fuels, including coal.

• An individual’s commitment to responsible, sustainable consumption.

• Creation of a new green economy that lifts people out of poverty by creating millions of quality green jobs and transforms the global education system into a green one.

We are given the opportunity to keep our towns, states, and country beautiful and protect the environment. Our children should be taught to respect the earth.  Even with all the campaigns promoting “Keep America Beautiful”, and similar others, some people still disregard them, by discarding trash alongside the roads, or throwing cans in lakes or streams.  It is our focus to ensure that persons whose jobs are to clean up pollution or other acts of negligence of the earth remain safe as they do their job.

Are you doing your part to keep your little corner of the world green?

There are things each of us can do to preserve our country’s beauty, protect our wildlife, and keep our air clean.  In exchange, if we maintain a good environment, we are also making our world a safer place.  Whether you choose to observe “Earth Day” in March or April, (or both), let’s make it a habit to appreciate our world by keeping it safe and pristine.