A couple months ago I discovered that Clear Lake, Iowa, had several Earth Day events scheduled in its visitor’s brochure. At the time, I was impressed and couldn’t remember if there had been any commemoration here last year. Imagine my enormous disappointment when I read through upcoming events for the weekend! The closest thing to an Earth Day event is the grand opening of Restore! I would think that the Audubon Society would do something, or maybe Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts or one of the numerous charitable organizations in the area.

As for myself, I was not sure how I was going to celebrate April 22, except to continue what I always do: Don’t pollute our earth with pesticides and herbicides; clean with natural or nontoxic products, recycle glass, aluminum, paper and cardboard; turn off lights when not in use; switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs; conserve water; conserve gasoline by planning trips to include multiple errands, use solar energy (we now have three types of solar lights outside), plant native species — good for attracting birds, bees and butterflies; provide habitat for these creatures, also. Of course, there are many more ideas — check the Internet for some and please join me in celebrating Earth Day — it’s the only home we have, so let’s take care of it!

 

Judy Graham

Albert Lea