(Recycle, Reuse, Shop wisely, Plant a Tree, Clean Up & Beautify)
Today, April 22nd is “Earth Day”
Earth Day has been celebrated every April 22 since 1970. According to the Earth Day Network, Earth Day was founded by then U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson.
The idea came to Nelson after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.
***Things to discuss when it comes to saving resources***
Recycle - when an object can be shredded, melted or otherwise processed and then turned into new raw material; for instance, aluminum cans can be melted down to make more cans, glass can make more glass, cardboard and paper make more cardboard and paper, plastic bags and containers can be turned into other plastic products. This takes some energy (very little for aluminum), but it is a good choice.
Reuse - Find use for an existing item, such as, decorating a bag and using it as a gift bag instead of buying wrapping paper; put leftovers into a clean container from some other food; turn a used box into storage; give things in good condition that you no longer need to charity is another good way to reuse things like outgrown clothing or toys.
Shop Wisely to save resources.
• Things to consider: Can the container be easily recycled or reused? Will a larger container reduce the amount of packaging and perhaps cost less per serving? Is everything that can be recycled being recycled?
Plant a Tree (The Value of Trees to a Community)
• The following are some statistics on just how important trees are in a community setting.
• “The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent to ten room-size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.” —U.S. Department of Agriculture
• “Landscaping can reduce air conditioning costs by up to 50 percent, by shading the windows and walls of a home.” —American Public Power Association
• “If you plant a tree today on the west side of your home, in 5 years your energy bills should be 3% less. In 15 years the savings will be nearly 12%.” —Dr. E. Greg McPherson, Center for Urban Forest Research
• “A mature tree can often have an appraised value of between $1,000 and $10,000.” —Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers
• “In one study, 83% of realtors believe that mature trees have a ‘strong or moderate impact’ on the salability of homes listed for under $150,000; on homes over $250,000, this perception increases to 98%.” —Arbor National Mortgage & American Forests
• “Landscaping, especially with trees, can increase property values as much as 20 percent.” —Management Information Services/ICMA
Clean Up and Beautify: Organize a project to clean up or beautify some area in your town. It could be at your school, or some other spot. Make sure to have a plan for how to take care of the spot after you've made it nice.
