Celebrate Earth Day!

On April 22, more than one billion people around the globe will participate in Earth Day 2012. Earth Day is a day that is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth’s natural environment. It’s about uniting voices in support of a healthy planet. The first Earth day was held on April 22, 1970. People all over the country made promises to help the environment.

Since then the basic message of the day is the same, but it has evolved to become an international holiday, with several environmental groups now participating in Earth Week. During this week, these groups host programs that educate their communities about the different aspects of how to take better care of the earth.

Earth Day is celebrated with acts of service to the earth, including planting trees, picking up roadside trash, and conducting recycling and conservation programs. It’s about ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help the planet. At Camp Iroquois Springs, we show our appreciation for the environment in the everyday recycling of paper, cardboard and batteries used at camp. We also have our campers practice ways of taking care of the earth; like last summer when our CIT’s planted a garden for the Rock Hill community. This year at camp, we will be planting a vegetable and herb garden, and can’t wait to use what we grow in recipes at Kitchen Stadium. In addition to what we give to the environment, we also have the opportunity to raise awareness of our camp setting by incorporating a nature scavenger hunt as part of Tribal games, where we search for various objects in nature. Our children are the leaders of the future, and it’s important that they are educated and engaged in environmental issues that can

make a big difference for the planet.

So what can you do to make a difference and join in on April 22 (and throughout the year) to show how important the environment is to you?

Consider some of these ideas…

-Recycle: Every bottle and can used is waste that just sits at the local dump if we don’t recycle.

-Use reusable water bottles and containers.

-Plant a tree...it’s good for the air.

-Reduce Electricity: Shut off lights, computers and televisions when not in use.

-Conserve Water: Shut the water off when brushing your teeth. Take less time in the shower.

-Use Public Transportation: Take the bus or railroad (instead of commuting by car) to decrease air pollution.

-Choose products that are not over packaged.

-Pay bills online.

-Don’t rinse: Skip rinsing dishes before using your dishwasher and save up to 20 gallons of water each load.

-Change to compact fluorescent bulbs.

When it comes to “going green”, there is no shortage of ways in which you can change your life and help the environment. It does not have to be a grand gesture, or major change in lifestyle to make a difference. There are dozens of small changes you can do every day to save energy and keep the world cleaner and greener.