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Celebrating Earth Day, all of the students in kindergarten through sixth grade joined hands in one large circle surrounding the outside of the school building and passed the messae “Happy Birthday, Earth Day” from one to another.

Later students put their hands in the earth to plant seeds, pull weeds and clean up the school grounds.

They and other students at many of the schools in the county were learning the lessons of how to take care of the plant, celebrate nature and appreciate the resources the earth provides…

On Earth Day, people around the world came together, united in a celebration of friendliness to the earth and caring for our children’s future… That’s what it’s really about. 

‘Green’ teams stay true to Earth Day’s roots

By Oren Dorell, USA TODAY

Earth Day celebrants fixed trails, picked up trash and talked recycling at parks, workplaces and schools across the nation Tuesday, the 38th anniversary of the environmental holiday.

Earth Day was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, in 1970. He wrote he wanted to “infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause.” Now, corporations, governments and individuals pitch in.

•In Washington state, 18 volunteers repaired winter snow damage on the north side of Mount Rainier National Park, said Lauren Braden of the non-profit Washington Trails Association. “We’ve had record snowfall, so most of our work parties are working on lower elevation trails,” Braden said.

•In Weyers Cave, Va., Blue Ridge Community College students made a statement with a huge display of trash, with recyclables sorted.

•In Albany, N.Y., the Office of General Services announced it is replacing foam polystyrene plates and cups with biodegradable products made from bamboo and grass at cafeterias that serve 9,500 state workers and visitors daily.

•In the nation’s capital, Metro riders received free chocolate bars for saving 20 pounds of carbon emissions by riding the subway on Earth Day.

•In downtown Indianapolis, companies jumped at the chance to get rid of old computers, monitors and mice at the nation’s first Million Square Foot eCycling Event, which collected more than 25,000 pounds of electronics.

•In Sioux Falls, Kali Drewes, 18, bagged trash with employees of the wireless company Unicel at Sertoma Park. “It’s sad it takes Earth Day to get out and clean up,” Drewes said.

Contributing: Erika Smith in Indianapolis; Christina Mitchell in Weyers Cave; Jon Walker in Sioux Falls; wire reports (source)

 And here is another beautiful story to round off Earth Day for 2008…

Students’ Earth Day message: “Using tools to make it look cool”

By Mitch Fryer, LEADER TIMES

KITTANNING TWP. – Plant Earth received a helping hand from Kittanning Township Elementary yesterday.

Celebrating Earth Day, all of the students in kindergarten through sixth grade joined hands in one large circle surrounding the outside of the school building and passed the messae “Happy Birthday, Earth Day” from one to another.

Later students put their hands in the earth to plant seeds, pull weeds and clean up the school grounds.

They and other students at many of the schools in the county were learning the lessons of how to take care of the plant, celebrate nature and appreciate the resources the earth provides.

“It’s a way to teach kids to take care of the air, water, land and animals,” said teacher Sue Girardi of the all-day, all-out, schoolwide Earth Day program.

“It’s teaching a responsibility to the environment.”

Students worked on activities and projects in their classrooms and music and art rooms all week to prepare for Earth Day.

Everyone planted something. Everyone made something.

Grocery bags were decorated with Earth Day sayings, poems and designs and sent to a grocery store to be used at the checkouts.

The school held a rally about the hirstory of Earth Day. Students even made up their own Earth Day song for the occasion.

“We’ve been working on the courtyard, all the live long day… using all our tools, making it look cool.”

The song is a good one for Earth Day, according to fourth grade student Austin Roncher.

“It’s about the earth, us fixing it, cleaning it and helping it,” he said.

Mitch Fryer can be reached at mfryer@tribweb.com 

(source)

Let us remember this,

Every day is Earth Day.  ~Author Unknown