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Celebrating Earth Day : "What you do makes a difference"
an article by Pilar Rocio
The celebration of Earth Day started on 22 April
1970 when U.S. activist Senator Gaylord Nelson
suggested it as a way to promote the conservation
and care of the Earth. Later in 2009 the UN,
acting on a proposal made by the President of
Bolivia, Evo Morales, officially changed its name
to "International Mother Earth Day", where we
remember everywhere in the world that all living
beings are inter-dependent and part of one living
being.
click on photo to enlarge
Today we see a great deal of information
circulating about environmental stewardship,
sustainability, environmental awareness and
dissemination of related topics, but it is clear
that what we have done so far is only a fraction
of what we need to do in order to take care of the
planet we inhabit ... so the proposal should be
that every day is Mother Earth Day!
This year April 22 was celebrated in very
different ways in different parts of the globe,
but it was so intense that it felt as if we had
all agreed together previously. In Buenos Aires,
Argentina, it was called Green Day, and all the
people went to the parks with ecological
transport, skating and walking to celebrate with
free outdoor concerts and messages of protecting
the planet. In Eagle Pass, Mexico, the Department
of Parks and Recreation called on citizens to go
to the parks of the city to plant trees. In New
York (USA) at Grand Central Station there was an
environmental fair with food stalls, exhibitions
and music with information and education on each
activity. In Cochabamba, Bolivia, the Mayor
convened a costume contest with recycled material
in a day of concerts and reflection on the
protection of "Pachamama." Thus, the celebration
took place around the world.
The campaign slogan proposed by the United Nations
for the present year 2014 was "Green Cities", for
which cities and communities around the world were
helped in their transition to a more sustainable
life for the future. This included investments in
new technologies and progressive public policy in
which more than a billion people and 190 countries
have participated, reporting, clearing spaces,
planting trees and plants, exposing and making
structural political demands, using
environmentally friendly modes of transport such
as bicycles and skates, with the understanding
that "there is nothing more powerful than joint
action".
Now, more than ever, we can say there is no
turning back, that being aware of everything that
can be done to safeguard our common home, we have
the duty and the right to celebrate with joy every
day with our responsible actions however small
they may be ... because Mother Earth is unique and
for everyone!
(Click here for a Spanish version of this article)
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
How can we encourage people to care for the environment?,
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LATEST READER COMMENT:
Nature is fascinating! Children are walking, or crawling, sponges--starting from scratch--and that's the right time to input the right stuff.
So talk about birds. They are always visible and audible. They call each other, listen to what they are saying. Cheerilee, dee dee, caw caw, and which beautiful songs come from which birds. They are perfect pilots, they swoop and dive and do barrel rolls and never have an accident (unless we do something stupid). Crows marry for as long as they live.
Youngsters' interest is easily piqued but parents have the responsibility to do it (so they might bone up on nature). . ...more.
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