Letter to the Editor: April 22, 2020 is Earth Day

To the Editor:

For 50 years Earth Day has been designated to celebrate our incredible planet. It’s a day to think about what our species has been doing to degrade our environment. But more importantly it’s a day to constructively help our natural world.

If we can instill in our children an appreciation for nature, maybe they will do more than we have to care for this planet. Simple acts like picking up litter, then recycling or trashing it, planting a vegetable garden, planting native species of trees, flowers, and grasses, or simply getting outdoors to enjoy the wonders of nature.

We need to use less gasoline-powered machines and use our muscles more; running, walking, bicycling and scootering. We need to turn off electrical devices we’re not using and conserve water (hand- and dish-washing water is fine for watering plants.) We can all find ways to reduce consumption and recycle, reuse and conserve all we can.

We can donate money, if we’re able, to any of the good non-profit environmental organizations (i.e. World Wildlife, Nature Conservancy, Environmental Defense Fund, Food and Water Watch, Greenpeace, Natural Resources Defense Council, etc.) When we vote, we can research the candidates and choose those who will act to help our natural environment.

What would help the most is to treat every day as Earth Day! Together we can make quite a difference, but we need to do all we can. We can’t leave it up to them. The lives of our children, grandchildren and future generations of all the inhabitants of Earth depend on our actions now!

Jill K. Stephenson
Waukon