For Earth Day: April 22, 2008

Tuesday, Earth Day!

"Earth Day is a name used for two different observances, both held annually during spring in the northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere. These are intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth's environment. The United Nations celebrates Earth Day, which was founded by John McConnell in 1969, each year on the March equinox, while a global observance originated by Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in, and since January 1970 also called Earth Day, is celebrated in many countries each year on April 22."  (From Wikipedia)

Visit the official site of International Earth Day to find a ton of information on when, why, and how John McConnell came to write the Earth Charter, to view the Earth Magna Charta document, to read about McConnell's biographies and his thoughts on Global Peace. The site also explains the origin of St Francis Day and the Minutes of Peace, both practiced in December. 

Earth Day Flag, designed by McConnell

According to USAToday, this past Sunday, people "picked up garbage, turned in old cellphones and computers and took nature walks at pre-Earth Day events Sunday. Environmental leaders are aiming for an even bigger effort Tuesday, when they hope 1 million Americans will call their congressional representatives to lobby for legislation to fight global warming. On a more modest scale, grocery stores in Los Angeles will give away 50,000 reusable bags today and Tuesday, and, starting Tuesday, Whole Foods Market stores will no longer offer plastic bags."(Traci Watson, USAToday, April 20th)

Easy, simple things to do for each of us, every day...

Take a child, your family or friends to The Nature Conservancy Plant A Billion Trees interactive website where clicks take the viewers to The Atlantic Forest, to vitually "see" trees grow while reading their descriptions,etc. This is simply a cool, colorful, attractive browsing while learning about Trees.

Plant a tree if you have the space around you. Plant a virtual tree if you can click...

Go to A Sierra Club Quiz to figure out how soon an Energy Efficiency Buyer gets money back in the pocket while  shopping "green." I bet you'll do fine. Or be a wise crack like me, and completely fail the test!

Visit periodically Earth friendly sites to keep practicing Earth conscious living. One step at a time...

Heritage School Earth Day Drawings,NICKR- 5-09-01

Posted by NWH - Happy Tuesday!