Earth Day occurs every year on the 22 of April. In the spring of 1970, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day to bring awareness of the need to protect our environment. It is a day that not only honors the earth, but also allows us to understand the importance of the earth’s essence. We can learn to honor Mother Nature and how to be more sustainable.

Here are some of my tips for ways to be active on Earth Day (or any day):  

• First, recycle. If you don’t have a recycling bin in your home, save and reuse plastic forks and cups to preserve and decrease the amount that goes to the landfill.
• Next, get creative. You can create a school project out of materials. In my physics class last year, we measured wave frequencies by creating instruments out of plastic bottles, cardboard, and  rubber bands.
• Finally, garden. You can clean a garden or support local gardening organizations like Kasey Trees or the Anacostia Watershed and educate yourself upon the work of these non profits. Kasey Trees gets the youth involved  in planting trees, while the Anacostia watershed does boat tours to show how they are trying to reduce pollution within the Anacostia River. You can potentially earn some community service hours, too!

Senior Edith Mendoza Solano, who takes AP Environmental Science, also recommends:

• Recycle more and reuse plastic materials around the house.
• Use public transportation, or even take a walk. This will reduce the amount of oil used.
• The electricy pepco uses comes from natural resoruces like coal ( wind power).
• Encourage your family members and neighbors to install solar panels to conserve energy – and money!

If we don’t act now, our earth will be harmed by toxins, and emissions will increase.  The addition of AI is also creating more harmful emissions, as shown below.

Even after Earth Day, you can do little things like conserving water or planting trees to produce more oxygen into the air. You can also educate people about Earth Day and how we can be involved in activities to sustain the environment and not destroy our home.