Earth Day 2016

Celebrate Earth Day on Friday, April 22 or at an Earth Day event that continues through the weekend such as Earth Day Texas at Fair Park in Dallas, TX. Earth Day Texas focuses on environmental awareness and education and is an annual forum for sharing the latest initiatives, discoveries, research, innovations, policies, products, and corporate practices that are reshaping our world.

Earth Day was founded in 1970 by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, of Wisconsin, as a national “teach-in” day, according to the Earth Day Network. Nelson wrote about the origins of Earth Day on Envirolink, "I announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and invited everyone to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country. The American people finally had a forum to express its concern about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air – and they did so with spectacular exuberance."

What will you do to celebrate the Earth? Many people plant trees, participate in clean up projects, go on a nature hike or take inventory of how they can reduce their carbon footprint. Whether it is big or small, I hope you have a fabulous time contemplating or being out in our wonderful natural world and doing your bit to safeguard our environment. I created a photographic art image of a tree spirit who emerged during winter storm Jonas, in honor of the other living creatures sharing planet earth with us.