Mark your calendar: Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2022! Earth Day gives us an opportunity to think about the future of our planet and how we can utilize the resources it gives us in a way that promotes sustainability and longevity for generations to come.
It's estimated that over one billion people worldwide celebrate Earth Day in some way, but the holiday hasn't always been a global celebration. Earth Day started as a nationwide environmental protest to get environmental issues on the national agenda. On April 22, 1970, more than 20 million people across the United States took to streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate how important a healthy and sustainable environment was to them. These early Earth Day demonstrations united people from all political, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds and led to the creation of what we now know as the Environmental Protection Agency. Earth Day has become such a large and important holiday that many people celebrate by stretching it to a whole week, Earth Week.
Nature provides us with many of the basic necessities of life, as well as millions of species that we know and love, some that have yet to be discovered. However, as many of us know, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and caused rapid extinction rates – the greatest rate of extinction since the dinosaurs. Climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, animal trafficking and poaching, and pollution have a direct impact on our planet and its future.
It's critical that we work together to learn about the ways we can change our everyday habits to take care of the earth, and Earth Day reminds us to give a little bit of extra love to the world around us.
Pennsylvania's environment has a lot to offer and appreciate, but that also means we have a lot to protect. Our commonwealth has over 2.2 million acres of lush forest, rugged mountain trails, and roaring rivers. Pennsylvania's resources are common property to us all, including the generations to come. With climate change effects on the rise, we must do what we can to maintain those resources and the beauty our great commonwealth holds.
You are invited to join the Governor's Residence during its virtual Earth Day celebration on Friday, April 22, 2022, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The theme is "Investing in Our Planet," and teachers, families, librarians, and students are encouraged to join the live-streamed event to learn more about Pennsylvania's environmental efforts and enjoy fun activities. The event will be streamed on the Governor's Residence website and on Facebook. Additional learning materials will also be available on the Governor's Residence website.