With the upcoming month of April there is a very overlooked day that holds so much importance. Although the day is all about the very grass we walk on everyday, Earth day is by far one of the most important days to celebrate.
When Charlotte Bandanza, a sophomore at Woodland was asked if she celebrated Earth day she stated,
“I do not know much about Earth day, I kind of know the concept and about it but I just don’t do anything during the day,” said Bandanza.
Another student here at Woodland, Cheyenne Haupler was asked if she knew when Earth day was, she said,
“Earth day is April 22nd but I do not do anything to celebrate the day,” said Haupler.
But why Earth day is so forgotten makes sense. There is so much coming up like spring sports, warmer weather, and April break that this important day feels like the least of anybody’s worries.
Earth day is not a new thing and has actually been going on since the 70’s. The first ever actual celebration of Earth day was celebrated in 1970 in Wisconsin to raise awareness about the environmental issues that had sparked upon the Earth.
According to Rose Davidson, after the first celebration of Earth day rallies began popping up and by the end of the year the U.S. government had created the Environmental Protection Agency. And by 1990 Earth day was finally made a real calendar event.
But, If this day is so important to celebrate, then how can you celebrate it?
There are so many different ways to celebrate but here are some that take minimal effort but the outcome will have so many benefits to the world around us.
Planting a tree is one of the most popular things some people might do. The simple act of planting a tree can combat environmental issues and help detoxify the air around that specific environment.
But, unfortunately, not everybody has the power to plant a tree or go out to buy the supplies, but that is no issue. You can do something like simply picking up trash or litter around your area. Chances are there is tons and tons of trash that lies around and ends up getting blown away into important places and can damage our Earth. Dedicating this day to just picking up any trash that you see can reduce pollution and help protect wildlife. And if everybody has ended up picking up little bits of trash on Earth day thousands of pieces of litter will be cleaned up.
If you need something even more simple than that, there are ways in your basic life pattern that can be switched and swapped to help promote a healthy planet. Something as simple as using up less electricity like turning off lights you don’t use, and making sure to unplug things that do not need to stay on can lower green-house gas emissions, which are terrible for the environment since it is the action of burning fossil fuels which pollutes and harms the Earth. Another simple and easy thing to do is just reduce your water usage. This could mean shutting the water off whilst brushing your teeth and could also be something simple like taking shorter showers. This can conserve energy and reduce pollution.
There are so many ways to celebrate the beauty of this Earth, and instead of treating April 22nd as a typical day, treat it as a huge party and celebration for having the Earth we have and do everything in our power to reverse climate change and pollution.
