Photo/Planet Protein)
By Karen Stokes
Each year on April 22, people celebrate Earth Day by taking part in activities like picking up litter and planting trees to help make our world a healthier place to live.
Earth Day is a time to raise awareness about the importance of protecting our planet, and to take action to address the climate crisis.
Originating in Wisconsin, Senator Gaylord Nelson launched the idea for a national day in 1970 that focused on the environment. In 2023, about a billion people will take part in Earth Day activities worldwide.
Gardening is a great Earth Day activity. (Photo/wordinblack)
Each year, Wisconsin holds its own Earth Day activities throughout April. Teams of people from area churches, neighbors, motorcycle club members, college students, sororities, fraternities and families from all over the state come together to do some spring cleaning.
Reduce your carbon footprint by making changes to your lifestyle, such as driving less, using less energy, and eating less meat. (Photo/chopra.com)
Some small ways we can all do to help the environment are: Before throwing something away, think about whether it can be recycled or repurposed, plant a tree, conserve electricity and water usage or offer your time to the many Earth Day activities in our area.
Opportunities to volunteer for Earth Day and Earth week events:
-Washington Park Trash Pick Up
(For everyone) Spring is the perfect time to refresh the parks we manage. Bring your friends and family and pick up trash in Washington Park. Wednesday, April 26 @ 9:30 – 10:30 am Friday, April 28 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
-Pitch In: Volunteer at Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s 28th Spring River Cleanup
April 22 9am-Noon Volunteer to help remove over 100,000 pounds of trash from our river system during the Spring Cleanup! Milwaukee Riverkeeper provides the gloves, trash bags, and FREE T-SHIRTS, you provide the people power, and together we will restore our waterways!
-ALICE’S GARDEN EARTH DAY ACTIVITIES
April 22 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm Free. All are invited to join us for a day of caring for the piece of Earth that is Alice’s Garden Urban Farm and celebrating the planet we live upon. Please bring your own garden work gloves and a REUSABLE water bottle.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Venice Williams at venicewb@gmail.com or call 687-0122.
Earth Day is a reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting our planet. By working together, we can make a difference.