Happy Earth Day! Today is a day to remember to treat our planet with the greatest respect and love, and to carry that forward each and every day.

Today is Earth Day, and while we really celebrate our home planet every day, this is the 53rd consecutive year of Earth Day being official. Earth Day was first established back on April 22, 1970. Since then, more than 190 countries around the world and 1 billion people take action to take care of our planet on Earth Day.

In 1962, author Rachel Carson released Silent Spring, a book that ultimately kicked off the environmental movement and thus environmental consciousness. Inspired by the movement, amongst other environmental events, and wanting to take it much further, Earth Day was established first on college campuses then officially across the nation.

According to earthday.org, “groups that had been fighting individually against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness and the extinction of wildlife united on Earth Day around these shared common values.”

The first Earth Day captured support from people of every background all across the U.S. and, by the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was created, which led to much legislation spanning from endangered species to environmental education to clean air and clean water.

The theme for 2023 is Invest in Our Planet, a continuation of the same theme from 2022, and anyone can get involved. Clean-ups are scheduled throughout the year, and you can register to go pick up litter. This year, public clean-ups are happening in just about every major city and surrounding suburbs.

You’ll want to check the local forecast before you head out so you can be prepared for rain or shine.

No registration? No problem! Go around your own neighborhood, beaches, or local parks to help clean up. You can make it a family affair too! Recycle; this includes plastics, cardboard, newspapers, and even your clothes. It’s gardening season, and all these items can be used to get your garden going. Got old shirts or pants? Wear them while working outside where they will get dirty anyways.

Cardboard and newspaper are compostable, and you can use them right in your garden bed. This means less weeding too, as they can prevent up to 75 percent of the weeds compared to last year – less strain on the back and knees.

There are plenty of other ways to show respect for Earth and you can do them any day of the year. Happy Earth Day!