Hug a Tree Today

Today is Earth Day. Earth Day is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment. It was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While the first Earth Day was focused on the United States, Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. April 22 corresponds to spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.

One of Soroptimist International’s Programme Focus Objectives is all about saving our planet:
#6 - Mitigate the effects of climate change and integrate sustainability into personal choices and government policies and programmes. Don’t you love the British spelling? Go to http://www.soroptimistinternational.org/assets/media/documents/joint_ngo_statement_-_the_green_economy_-_a_gender_perspective_feb_2011.pdf to read a Soroptimist-partnered statement, “A Gender Perspective on the Green Economy.”

So hug a tree – or plant a tree – today. Put a reusable bag in the trunk of your car. Recycle that can or water bottle. And whatever you do, don’t print this blog post. Happy Earth Day!