The Importance of Earth Day

by Brooke Lilley
Southern Aroostook Community
Grade 9-10   3rd Place
Humans take the Earth for granted everyday. They never think about how privileged they are to be able to call this amazing planet home. Never thinking about the planet, most people never take the extra step to keep the planet clean and alive for as long as possible.
    Earth Day was first created by Senator Gaylord Nelson, from Wisconsin, as away to “force this issue onto the national agenda.” He wanted to sponsor a day filled with environmental education and activism that would educate the United States about the earth and the risk of neglecting it. He was concerned about the number of Americans who knew about environmental issues. These issues ranged from conservation, protection of wilderness, and animals to industrial pollution. As a result, thousands of colleges, universities, schools, and communities all around the United States celebrated the event and learned about how to save the Earth. The United States soon labeled April 22 as Earth Day. The rest of the world celebrates Earth Day on March 20 or 21, depending on which day the vernal equinox falls on.
    No matter where a person looks, Aroostook County can offer everybody something enjoyable. Aroostook County offers different types of recreational activities like; boating, hunting, snow sledding, and hiking. The only way that these activities can stay in the current list of recreational activities is if citizens of Aroostook County take the time to preserve and take care of their land. This ensures the safety of this land and even the activities themselves.
    An example of what people can do to take the extra mile to help Aroostook County are: schools can organize school days were kids can go around and pick up trash, paint trashcans, and plant flowers. This is just one example but people should get used to making these changes to beautify Earth as an everyday thing. Some changes that I have made in my everyday life to help protect the Earth are to recycle cans and plastic, and use the Earth wisely. My family gardens during the spring which makes us more aware about the Earth and how to care for it. Along with gardening, we compost to help enrich the soil of our garden naturally. By composting we are able to put less pesticides in our environment and take less trash to the dump. By gardening, I have learned more about the life cycles in our own planet. The trees on my land are in a land trust for future generations. Some people do not realize that the smallest things count. When a person shuts of their lights, game systems, and water when not in use, they are helping the environment. Even though these are not huge contributions, they add up and help save our planet. The truth is that one person can’t make a huge difference, but if everybody worked together it would have a great impact.