Wednesday Is Earth Day!

Earth Day is always April 22. This year it falls on Wednesday. I remember the first Earth Day in 1970. During the late 60s, there was a large environmental movement that recognized the need for taking care of the planet. I remember that the biggest campaigns were the ant-litter, Keep America Beautiful, advertisements. The most famous one being The Crying Indian.

That first Earth Day in my hometown, April 22, 1970, was spent cleaning up, not only the parks and playgrounds, but the streets. This was in the time when Lake Erie was the equivalent of a slimy, smelly, cesspool and the previous summer saw the Cuyahoga River catch fire. Both of these places were in my neck of the woods where I grew up. Littering and dumping trash was something that people did, without thought.

Don’t want those leftover french fries in the car, throw them out the window. Oh and this stop sign gives me the opportunity to empty the ash tray full of filtered cigarette butts out onto the road …

We have come a long way since my childhood. Now, every day is Earth Day, and April 22nd is spent in celebration of the planet. Sometimes the celebration is a party over the closest weekend, sometimes a community work effort.

What are you going to do this year?

Keep America Beautiful