Environmental Spotlight:
Happy 30th. Anniversary

by Bonnie S. Swinehart

May and June have long been acknowledged as months in which society honors mothers and fathers as givers of life. Mother's day and Father's Day are commonly marked by special celebrations and events. However, if special days are appropriated to honor the givers of life, then isn't it also fitting that honor be shown to the planet which sustains life?

Former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D, Wisconsin) certainly thought so and it is because of him, along with Denis Hayes, that April 22 has become an annual day of recognition for our planet. On that first Earth Day celebration, twenty million people worldwide gathered together to clean up litter, reduce pollution, and protest countless other threats to our environment. The event was marked with a performance by Pete Seeger at the Washington Monument, and a ban on cars from Fifth Avenue in New York City in order to accommodate special events being held there. Even the U.S. Congress closed its doors so members could go home to attend their hometown events.

Whether it's through acting responsibly, volunteering, participating in an Earth Day event, or by making a monetary donation, in his 2000 Earth Day Message Governor Tom Ridge says, "We are all stewards of "Penns Woods," and he asks that we prove ourselves worthy of this great trust.