Susan Cox
Spring is a wonderful season. I love to watch the world slowly turn green as it awakens from winter. Daffodils bring bright spots of color and the redbuds’ purple blossoms begin to appear. Leaves emerge first on bushes and then on trees. Temperatures rise and we all flock outside to enjoy the warmth and sunshine.
I want to keep enjoying the beautiful world we live in, so I decided to learn a bit more about Earth Day and Arbor Day, which are both celebrated in early spring, and encourage us to take care of our world.
Earth Day began in 1969 as a response to widespread air and water pollution that was ravaging the environment. According to earthday.org, Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin announced the idea of a teach-in on college campuses to raise awareness. Denis Hayes was recruited to organize the teach-ins and April 22 was picked as a day between spring break and final exams to maximize student participation. Hayes recognized there was an opportunity to reach all Americans and broadened their promotion of events to a wide range of organizations.
They also changed the name to Earth Day in 1970. By the end of that year, the United States Environmental Protection Agency was created. Since then, many laws have been passed to protect the environment. In 1990, Earth Day went global, boosting recycling efforts worldwide and now also focuses on global warming and clean energy.
Locally, the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District has an Earth Day event happening on Friday, April 21 at the Columbus/Bartholomew Recycling Center from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Bring your recycling and then check out what’s planned. There are children’s activities, educational displays, a plant swap, a tree/seed giveaway, as well as document shredding, free mulch loading, amnesty for hard to dispose of items, and a hot dog roast. See bcswmd.com for more information on the event or on what you can recycle.
Did you know you can recycle electronics and motor oil along with typical items such as paper, metal, cardboard, and glass at the Recycling Center? I’m glad to have a place to take all these items to make sure they are disposed of safely and without harming the environment.
Another Earth-related holiday, Arbor Day, began on April 10, 1872, led by a Nebraska newspaper editor, J. Sterling Morton, who became secretary of the Nebraska Territory.
According to arborday.org, Nebraska residents missed the trees they left behind when they moved to Nebraska and needed trees for windbreaks, fuel and building materials, and shade.
Prizes were offered for the largest amount of properly planted trees, and it’s estimated that more than 1 million trees were planted in Nebraska on that first Arbor Day. Many other states began celebrating Arbor Day, 45 states by 1920, and now all 50 states. The most common celebration date is now the last Friday in April — April 28 this year.
The Bartholomew County Soil and Water Conservation District is sponsoring its 12th Annual Arbor Day Tree Giveaway on Friday, April 28 at the Bartholomew County Fairgrounds beginning at 5 pm. Trees are available on a first come first serve basis, 5 per person. The trees available this year include Norway Spruce, White Pine, Red Oak, Shagbark Hickory, Tulip Tree, and Chokecherry. Donations for Love Chapel are also being collected at the event. The website bartholomewswcd.org/portfolio/tree-giveaway/ can give you more information about the tree giveaway and items Love Chapel needs.
A few years ago, I heard about the tree giveaway, so I went and acquired several redbuds. The trees are growing well and are now big enough to provide places for birds to perch. The blossoms are just emerging, giving my yard more color and making me smile.
I encourage you to take advantage of these events to celebrate and protect our wonderful world. If you can’t make it to either of them, you can do your own recycling, plant trees or other plants, or go for a walk or bike ride to enjoy the beauty of spring.
Susan Cox is one of The Republic’s community columnists, and all opinions expressed are those of the writer. She is an avid reader, an outdoor enthusiast, a mother, a grandmother, and an adjunct instructor of English at IUPUC. She can be reached at editorial@therepublic.com.
