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

Today is Earth Day, and while we celebrate our home planet every day, this is the 55th 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 have taken action to take care of our planet on Earth Day.

In 1962, author Rachel Carson released "Silent Spring," a book that ultimately sparked the environmental movement and helped establish environmental consciousness. Inspired by the movement, along with other environmental events, and wanting to take it much further, Earth Day was first established on college campuses and then officially celebrated 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 garnered support from people of every background across the U.S. By the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency had been created, leading to legislation that spanned from endangered species protection to environmental education and clean air and water.

The theme for 2025 is "Our Power, Our Planet". This theme encourages people to unite around renewable energy and work towards tripling global clean electricity generation by 2030. The theme emphasizes the power of individuals and communities to make a difference in protecting the planet. 

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

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