Earth Day – Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow

Earth Day is right around the corner, and we are extremely excited to be a part of history as we partake in the 48th celebration of this wonderful

holiday.

Originating in the United States, Earth Day was not officially recognized internationally until the year 1990. Now, there are over 190 countries that join in on the celebration through a variety of activities. Some of the most common festivities include tree planting, roadside clean-ups, organized nature walks, and simply spending time outside.

Additionally, ever since Earth Day became an international celebration, the United Nations began working on creating a new name for the day, so that it would be more inclusive for all cultures. In 2009, they finally came to the decision to officially change the name to International Mother Earth Day. The UN’s reasoning behind this is since Mother Earth was already a widely-used expression for the planet, more countries may be willing to adapt this holiday into their culture.

Throughout the years, each Earth Day has been given a special theme for individuals and organizations to focus their attention on. For example, 2016 focused on the theme of Trees for the Earth, and 2017 was dedicated to Environmental and Climate Literacy. This year’s Earth Day has been deemed End Plastic Pollution. However, just because there’s specific theme for the year, it doesn’t mean that other Earth Day traditions can no longer take place.

All Earth Day activities – tree plantings, highway clean-ups, recycled art projects, etc. – are just as impactful and important as others. A concept that we find incredibly important to remember.

And as much as we wish individuals, including ourselves, could celebrate every day as if were Earth Day, we understand that it isn’t very plausible. Therefore, we consider ourselves truly blessed that we are given the opportunity to gather with the rest of our community to partake in a variety of Earth Day activities this coming Sunday.

Festivities at CREEC will begin at 10:00 AM with a “Blessing of the Saplings.” Although CREEC as an organization does not affiliate with a specific faith, we still find it important to recognize the sacredness of trees. After all, trees play a vital role in the structure of our environment.

Immediately following will be a few hours of planting the blessed trees throughout CREEC’s newly purchased land. Our goal is to plant over 200 trees, all of which have been generously donated by local greenhouses. All supplies will be provided. We just ask that you come ready to get dirty and plant some beautiful, young trees. Also, there will be tree saplings available for purchase so that you can bring a little bit of Earth Day to your own home.

To end the day, we will be hosting a variety activities revolving around Earth Day 2018’s focus to End Plastic Pollution. There will be a plastic-bottle toss (think bean-bag toss), a recycled arts and crafts station, and an informational session about plastics and their impact on the environment.

We invite you to come and be in community with one another as we recognize and celebrate the beauty of our planet. By joining together, we can remind each other why this day was created so long ago, and work towards becoming true stewards of the earth.