Kaylee Klumpp

From left to right: Makenna McGrath, Stone Crawford, Skylar Gray, Hannah Greentree and Camille Graninger work to pull out weeds in the cafeteria courtyard’s garden in hopes of filling it with life again as part of the Gardening Club. Taken March 24, 2024.

Earth Day falls on April 22 annually, demonstrating support and awareness for environmental protection. 

The theme for Earth Day this year is “Planet vs. Plastic,” with the goal of reducing 60% of all plastics by 2040, according to earthday.org. 

The first-ever Earth Day was celebrated in April of 1970, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 

Prior to this legislation, emitting a large amount of fossil fuels and polluting the globe was considered legal in the United States.

“We have taken important steps since the EPA was founded,” said AP Environmental Science and oceanography teacher Nicolas DiNapoli. “We are certainly not at the stage where we hoped to be, but we are trending potentially in the right direction.”  

Some ways to celebrate Earth Day include: cleaning up trash, reusing containers, planting a tree and substituting harmful chemicals like pesticides.

Reducing plastic use is the most sustainable way to help the earth. If every person worldwide used renewable resources instead of single-use plastics, the health of the world could change drastically. 

Earth Day is an annual reminder that climate change has a major impact on our planet, our lives and our future. It can also increase awareness and drive change. Earth Day continues to evolve and add value to sustainability movements across the globe, according to the Environmental Center at the University of Colorado. 

The Ocean Lakes Gardening Club currently works towards reinventing the garden in the cafe courtyard to make it beautiful and healthy so useful plants grow in place of weeds. 

“We hope to fill the garden with life,” says co-president of the gardening club and junior Hannah Greentree. “We want flowers to attract pollinators, some aesthetic plants and vegetables to eat.” 

Earth Day is a great way to spread information about ways to keep the Earth happy and healthy. This year’s theme helps individuals and communities cut down on and be more aware of their plastic use.

“Earth Day is important because it allows people to slow down, relax and reconnect with nature.” said the other co-president of the gardening club and junior, Kaitlyn Dougherty, “taking the time to help our environment is a wonderful thing to do.”