From the mountains to the valleys, to the rivers and the oceans, Earth is so immensely beautiful, but so fragile. That is why on every April 22 since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated to honor and protect it.
In the 1960s and 70s, America was in an environmental crisis and in order to remedy the situation, environmental activism spurred. Rachel Carson’s 1962 book Silent Spring brought attention to the environmental impacts of DDTs, a popular pesticide used to deter insects in humans and in crops. The counterculture movement of the 1960s also furthered these developments.
This, mixed with the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969, ultimately led to Earth Day’s inception in 1970 under the leadership of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. President Richard Nixon recognized this new holiday by planting a tree on the White House lawn, cementing the holiday as nationally recognized.
The establishment of Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of several different events and programs all around Virginia Beach.
At Mount Trashmore Park, there will be a recycling collection where larger items can be donated to be used for new items. They will accept several items such as electronics, car batteries and household chemicals. Additionally at Mount Trashmore, there are several walks being held throughout Earth Week, the times of which can be found on the Virginia Beach website.
Several cleanups are being held during Earth Week as well; for example, False Cape State Park cleanups are scheduled each day of the week. There were also cleanups held at Williams Farm Park as well as at First Landing State Park.
At First Landing State Park, there are several additional ways to observe Earth Day, including the Seven Steps to Stewardship Hike that will take place on April 25.
Notably, Earth Day is being celebrated by students at Ocean Lakes.
Senior Prasanna Chokkalingam recounted his contributions to sustainability within his own community.
“Last year, I went to collect litter from the forest near my house,” said Chokkalingam. “I plan to do that again this year during Earth Day.”
The Sustainability Action Committee (SAC) has also been making significant gains with the environment. Their garden, which they have been maintaining for a few months, has grabbed the attention of significant portions of Ocean Lakes students.
“As one of our service projects this semester, we’ve decided to restore one of the garden beds outside near the new wing,” SAC Executive Board Member Srishti Aleti said.
The club’s Executive Board, which began meeting last April, stated that, to them, Earth Day is about “giving back to the environment because we have taken so much.”
Ultimately, Earth is the only home we have, so we, as humans, need to protect it. Just as British naturalist Sir David Attenborough once said, “in our hands now lies not only our own future but that of all other living creatures.”
