by Bruce Bowman
April in Glastonbury is alive with the signs of spring and regeneration. The trees and shrubs are budding, daffodils are blooming, and the peepers (tiny tree frogs) are singing their songs. April also brings the 52nd observation of Earth Day. Observed on April 22, Earth Day is an annual global event. It celebrates the environmental movement and raises our understanding of human activities that result in climate change and ways to maintain a sustainable planet.
Earth Day was first observed nationally in 1970, its inception began in the 1960’s with a growing awareness of the negative effects on the environment by human action. Rachel Carlson’s book the Silent Spring highlighted the disastrous negative effects pesticides were having on the food chain and planet. This coupled with other environmental disasters including a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA, propelled the formation of this environmentally conscious movement. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act were the result of an increasing awareness of a need for more sustainable practices.
You can see the erratic nature of our climate change induced weather patterns rise up again this spring. Severe storms with tornados and the development of wildfires are upon us once again. We need to change much of how we live and how we live to be sustainable. When we consciously think about our daily choices, fortunately, there are so many areas where we can be more environmentally friendly.
There is a free Earth Day Fair at South Glastonbury Congregational Church co-sponsored by TALK (Truth in Action with Love and Kindness) on April 23rd. Please join us for this family friendly event and explore the Exhibitor tables.
Here are a few suggestions for what you can do to make the earth a better and more sustainable place. Reduce your carbon footprint and walk more, drive less. Minimize the use of plastic, and plant vegetable and pollinator friendly gardens. Eat more of a plant-based diet. Plant a native tree or shrubs in your yard. Have Get an energy audit of your home and maximize your insulation. Replace old appliances with energy efficient ones. Stop using fertilizers and pesticides. Buy organic produce for the dirty dozen most heavily laden produce items.
TALK Environment group seeks to promote conversations about the environment and climate change in our community. If you have a related topic which you are passionate about, please send your ideas and suggestions for future articles to: prez@talk-action.org. We encourage more community writings for this column. All articles are archived on the TALK website https://talk-action.org.