Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Earth Day

Earth Day (according to Wikipedia) is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. That first Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated, with a goal of a healthy, sustainable environment.

I remember that first earth day (yes I am that old!) I was in Junior High and the big plan was for people to walk home instead of riding the bus to be good to the environment. I called my Mom and asked if I could participate, she said no. Now I'm sure her answer had something to do with the fact that it was a three mile walk, that involved crossing a highway and a railroad track. But I only saw it as unfair that I couldn't do what I wanted, so I "accidentally" missed the bus! Being environmentally conscious was harder than I thought. Not only did it take forever for me to get home but I got in trouble too.

As an adult, I try to be good to our earth. I recycle paper products, bottles, cans; I have been buying re-useable items so I don't have so much trash. And of course the buying and selling of vintage items is a fun way to reuse and recyle . What do you do?

3 comments:

Cat Street Boyz said...

Happy Earth Day! What do we do......, Recycle, donate and shop, second hand.......all our bulbs are florescent or LEDs. We built our house of concrete block, reducing waste of wood and by using block we helped keep Americans working! We do not use chemicals in our garden, on our furkids or for cleaning.....lots of baking soda and steam! We feed the birds that eat our bugs and we made a frog and toad pond for that same reason.=^Y^=Holly and the Boyz

Unknown said...

We recycle a lot. I've bought the reusable grocery bags too, & if need be, only use the paper ones from the stores. Living in a small community allows me to walk to the post office & local restaurants. I'm even trying to get in good enough shape so I can ride my bike to school this summer for summer school sessions. it's only 6 miles round trip & summer school doesn't start until July. Good question!

Sarah Coggins said...

What a funny story! I love that you *missed* the bus. I would have been in so much trouble for something like that too although I do wonder if the soreness the next day from the walk wasn't punishment enough? :D

We are good about recycling and taking our reusable bags to the grocery store. Last year DH & I both bought aluminum water bottles which we carry daily. We still occasionally buy plastic, but not nearly as frequently as we did in the past. Other small things we do include turning out the lights when we leave the room, using cloth lunch bags instead of paper, donating instead of trashing, etc.

Great post and question! :)