Hello Neighbor,
My daughter’s bookbag has made its way home this week full of Earth Day inspired crafts and projects. She made a cute little bug antenna hat, painted handprint flowers and a four-year old’s version of the Earth out of tissue paper and glue (hers was very generous with ocean area). As I hung her artwork on our little display board in the kitchen as I always do, I got to thinking about Earth Day. I realized that I didn’t really know much about it at all.
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22nd to raise awareness about environmental issues and promote the protection of our planet. The idea for Earth Day was first proposed by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1969, following a devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara, California.
On April 22nd, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated across the United States, with over 20 million people participating in demonstrations and rallies to demand action on environmental issues. The success of this event led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of major environmental laws such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
Since then, Earth Day has become a global event, with millions of people around the world taking part in activities such as planting trees, cleaning up litter, and promoting sustainable practices. Each year, the event has a different theme, such as climate action, biodiversity, or plastic pollution. This year, the theme is “Invest in Our Planet.” The focus is to tackle the issue of climate change with an emphasis on the need for people to invest now to make an impact.
On the official Earth Day website , a suggestion for participating in Earth Day 2023 is to plant trees or pollinators. Planting flowers is right down my alley. I’ve been itching to get my hands in the dirt this spring to watch the fruit of my labor bloom, grow and shine. Often, I simply choose plants by color schemes and blooming longevity, but in the spirit of Earth Day, my kids and I will pick out and plant some pollinators! We have some great choices for our growing zone:
Goldenrod: a brilliantly yellow late-season bloomer
Butterfly/Common Milkweed: a fire orange late summer/early fall bloomer
Wild bergamot/Bee Balm: a delicately purple mid-summer/early fall bloomer
Eastern Purple Coneflower (one of my favorites!): vivid pink and purple long-lasting bloomer
Asters: bright blue/purple flowers that bloom late summer and early fall
Happy Earth Day and happy planting! Let’s make The Main Line the place to be for every butterfly and every bee!
Warm Regards,
Kim