(ARA) - April 22, 2005 marks the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, which was established in 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson in an effort to sharpen the public’s focus on protecting natural resources. Many government and legal milestones were generated as a result of Earth Day and the environmental awareness it cultivated, including the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air and Water Act and the Endangered Species Act.

“We should care about Earth Day because it is a critically important day in American history,” says Joan Wiseman, J.D., academic director of justice and paralegal programs at Brown Mackie College – Michigan City, Ind. “The first Earth Day in 1970 was the day that Americans said yes, our environment matters, and we want our government involved in important work to protect and sustain life.” The first Earth Day drew together more than 20 million Americans nationwide and became one of the largest grassroots demonstrations in U.S. history.
The notion of citizen action on Earth Day is still very relevant today because people are doing many good things around the world, says Wiseman, who also currently works to protect the natural areas in the Lake Michigan watershed in Indiana. “And if others see these actions, more will get involved and we can achieve more good things. People still continue to ‘think globally and act locally,’ with each of us doing our part to make our community cleaner and safer.” Even the international community has come together in a considerable effort to protect the Earth’s resources, including an international movement supporting recycling and the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The theme of the 35th anniversary of Earth Day is “Protecting Our Children’s Health and Our Future” and Wiseman, who graduated from high school in 1970 and is now a grandmother, feels that this is an especially good approach to sustainability. “People should get involved and provide valuable help to those of us who are already doing good work in our local communities.”

Here are five examples of activities from Wiseman that everyone can do in their own community to celebrate Earth Day by thinking globally and acting locally:

• Contact a local environmental group and volunteer to help celebrate Earth Day. Join the group and continue to help them protect and preserve the environment even after Earth Day. Become educated about sustainability.
• Start an Earth Day celebration in your community by working with a group that you are already involved in at school, church, daycare, or at a local government or nonprofit organization.
• Work with your neighbors to do an Earth Day clean-up of your neighborhood.
• Visit a Web site such as www.earthday.org which provides many links to Earth Day events all over the country and provides many ideas about starting your own celebration.
• Start to implement a sustainable lifestyle in your own family’s approach to a healthier lifestyle -- ride bikes and walk more to save gasoline; recycle glass, paper and plastic; install insulated curtains to save on energy costs; and conserve water by using it wisely.
  

Courtesy of ARA Content