Individual Acts of Conservation Add Up to Massive Change

Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it is loaned to you by your children.

That ancient Indian proverb becomes more relevant every day. I grew up on the prairie in rural South Dakota where the buffalo roamed, literally. People’s livelihood depended on the richness of the soil, the warmth of the sun, and wash of the rains. It still does.

Our very existence depends on this home that is our Earth and listening to the nightly news reinforces that it’s time for some do-it-yourself repairs. Just this past year, we were sickened by the scars left by the BP oil spill and the radiation leaks at the Fukushima power plant. Closer to home, we hear that some Lake Michigan beaches are closed for public health safety and warnings about the frequency of fish
consumption. Our landfills are massive.

Treat the earth well. So what can one person do? Friday, April 22 is Earth Day and the theme for this year’s celebration is A Billion Acts of Green® - a worldwide service campaign that hopes to enlist commitments from both individuals and businesses to quantify their specific acts of green by visiting Act.earthday.org. The goal is to register 1 billion commitments in advance of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 2012.

Individual commitments translated into a billion acts of green can make a difference! Here at the park district, we have stopped handing out plastic bottles of water at our events and instead use coolers and paper cups. That’s one. We recycle. That’s two. We make rain barrels available. That’s three. We collaborated with the Village in planning an Earth Day celebration Saturday. That’s four. The Natural
Resource department and conservation volunteers planted over 3,000 native plants throughout the district’s natural areas. That’s five, or is that 3,000? Either way, we can do more. And we will.

Join us this Earth Day and every day as we look for ways to be better. Our home needs some work. We have family coming!