A lot of marvelous things have happened since the first Earth Day in 1970.
New laws were passed to control harmful emissions and increased ways were found to renew, recycle, restore, and inform/educate "we, the people," on more personal ways that each of us can use to "save our earth," or at least extend its life.
Seniors in my age group (over the age of 80, who remember the "Dust Bowl" and Depression days of the 1930s and the World War years of the 1940s), never heard the word "recycle." Some of the things we learned as kids were to turn off lights when not in the room, don't waste water (one bath on Saturday night, 3-4 inches of water); pull shades in summer, put blankets over windows in winter; close outside doors (winter); put straw around foundations; save newspaper to use for other purposes; form tinfoil wrappers into balls to turn in; bury garbage in garden or feed to pets or outdoor animals. Our good farmers had their own supply of fertilizers/sileage. Some items were rationed (coffee, sugar, gas) and used sparingly.
Many of us, in town, had huge gardens. Several families in the neighborhood even had our own chickens; we had Rhode Island Reds (laid various shades of brown eggs). Many times we were fortunate enough to catch some "escaped" white chickens, from the nearby Land O' Lakes chicken and egg processing plant. Our many farm friends were extra lucky in that regard, with eggs, chickens, milk, pigs, cows and produce in abundance. Our mothers canned everything in reusable glass jars, which were stored in a fruit cellar full of potatoes, squash, onions, apples and more. Milk in glass bottles was delivered from the nearby Land O'Lakes into insulated containers on our front doorstep. Before refrigerators, we had ice delivered to cool our "ice box."
Some of us don't remember having a "garbage" pickup, since very little was ever thrown away, but, kept or repaired for further use. We had wood or coal burning furnaces (or corn cobs). Living near the railroad tracks, where coal was unloaded into coal cars for "coal burning" engines, we had some luck in picking up spilled coal on or near the tracks.
After the war, there were many changes, some for the good, many for the "less" good. We became a "throw away, overuse society, and shelved the "old ways" of preserving our beautiful planet.
On April 22, 1970, Earth Day was established as a reminder of what we each can do in this effort. While working at the local nursing home (Emmanual Home) in 2004, we held a special celebration of Earth Day, with discussions, samples of recyclable items, songs and readings. The residents were inspired to initiate a recycling of aluminum cans project in the home. We put up posters, articles were written in the newsletters, large collection bins were placed in several locations and thus, recycling was begun in this one little space in the universe. Some of the residents even went so far as to pick the pop cans out of waste baskets and remind staff and visitors that "you can't just throw that can away, you must recycle it." The recycling continues at Meeker Manor and beyond, in a more extended version to this day.
Here's a short poem that we used in the nursing home program:
THE EARTH IS MY HOME - UNITED WITH FRIENDS
The Earth is My Home, I promise to keep it healthy and beautiful.
I will love the Land, the Air, the Water, and All living Creatures.
I will be a Defender of my Planet. United By Friends, I Will Save the
Earth!
United by Friends, I promise to keep it, United with Friends.
I will love the Land, United with Friends, I'll be a Defender.
I WILL SAVE THE EARTH!! I WILL SAVE THE EARTH!!
