About Earth Day
(http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/earth/about.htm) |
Earth Day began
on April 22, 1970 and has been an important day ever since. It's a day to
reflect on our planet, our environment and what we can do to help keep them
healthy.
From the
beginning, children and schools were approached to support the formation and
continuation of this special day. And this makes sense! Children
have the most important stake in keeping our planet healthy. They'll
still be the caretakers long after their parents and grandparents have passed
away
What Did Earth
Day Accomplish?
Well, after the
first earth day in 1970 here's what happened.
·
The
Environmental Protection Agency was established later in 1970.
·
The tough Clean
Air Act of 1970 was passed with only a handful of dissenting votes in both
Houses of Congress.
·
The Federal
Occupational Health and Safety Act aimed at "in-plant pollution" was passed by
a coalition of labor and environmental groups.
·
Within the next
three years, such landmarks as the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act,
and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act were passed.
Other countries
have accomplished similar achievements.
But this is one
of those jobs that are never complete. Global warming and other issues
never conceived of in 1970 are now common themes on the news.
What Did Earth
Day 1990 Achieve?
·
The UN Earth
Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The Earth Summit was the largest collection of
national political leaders ever to meet in one place. It made some important
initial steps toward addressing climate change and preserving biodiversity.
·
More than a
dozen countries established eco-labeling programs to guide consumers toward
environmentally preferable goods and services.
·
Several Eastern
European nations, responding to public demand, established new environmental
protection agencies.
·
CARE, the
international relief agency, set out new environmental goals for itself in the
1990s that include planting 500,000,000 trees worldwide.
And in the new
millennium there are still lots to do!
But, What Can I
Do?
All these big
"news stories" are great, but what does that really have to do with you and
me? I mean, we're not part of the U.N. or anything important like that.
But we are
important! If it's important to us, then it's important to our
leaders. You can start with things like using recycled items in your
crafting (most of the items on this site are!). You can learn about your
local areas recycling program. Help your parents sort the
recycling. Encourage them to recycle (donate some of your allowance to
purchase a small home recycle bin -- now that will get their attention!)
This is one of those times where the kids may be teaching the parents.
You can do the
same thing at school, clubs, home and anywhere else you spend time.
Let others know
what you've done! Write a letter to your local government representative
and let them know how much you care about the environment and what work you've
put in to improve it. There's nothing more inspiring than seeing people
put thought into action! It's simple to write to someone and say, "Hey!
Fix the environment!" but it's more convincing if
that same note read, "Hey! Here's what I'm doing to help fix the
environment!! Do you have any ideas on what else I could do? What
are you up to solve the same problem?"
But the most
important part is to be aware and make others aware every day of the year!
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