Earth Day was first started in 1970 by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson.
He started Earth Day as an education teaching experience for students. Today Americans use this day to increase awareness and appreciation for the Earth and its environment. In the U.S., Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, serving as the end of Earth Week every year. April 16 through April 22 was designated as Earth Week in 1970 by a group of students in Philadelphia.
They, along with Senator Nelson, appreciated the Earth and took the opportunity to teach others about how to preserve its resources.
Today, in honor of Earth Day’s 40th anniversary this Thursday, Americans are taking time to learn about the Earth and help save the environment. Here are 10 excellent ways to help protect the Earth and its resources:

Recycle – Recycling is a great way to help reduce the number of items in landfills that are not conducive to decomposition. When things in a landfill do not decompose, they just sit there taking up unnecessary space in dumps. Some of these items may include aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and glass containers. Recycling allows items like these to be deconstructed and reused in the manufacture of new items. Recycling bins are located in buildings around the Clarion campus.

Don’t Use Plastic Shopping Bags – Plastic shopping bags are not biodegradable even when they claim to be. According to a consumer article on library.thinkquest.org, plastic shopping bags never disintegrate fully. Another concern surrounding plastic bags is the ink used to create the logo on the bag. It is made of cadmium and is toxic when released into the earth. Consumer advocates suggest choosing paper over plastic or even taking along a canvas bag from home to reduce the build-up of plastic bags in landfills.

Use Cloth Diapers – Americans throw away over 18 billion disposable diapers a year. If laid end to end, this diaper chain could reach the moon and return seven times. According to an article on 50waystohelp.com, parents use 5,000 to 8,000 diapers per child until they are old enough to be potty-trained. One way to reduce the number of diapers in landfills is to use cloth diapers on children. Cloth diapers, when used in conjunction with biodegradable liners, are an efficient way to dispose of waste. Cloth diapers can be reused up to 100 times and will decompose in one to six months.

Use a Low-Flow Shower Head – If a four-person family showered for five minutes a day, in one week, they would have used an average of 700 gallons of water. By replacing a traditional shower head with a low-flow model, a family can cut water usage by 50 percent. Another option is to purchase an aerated shower head. This model mixes air with water in order to reduce water usage without decreasing water pressure.

Compost – Composting allows families to turn their organic waste into a useful material rather than dispose of it in a landfill. By collecting organic waste like banana peels, grass clippings, and eggshells, families can start their own fertilizing resource for household and garden plants. Also add kitchen scraps to your compost pile to reduce the waste of older leftovers.

Switch to a Low-Flow Toilet – On average, 44 percent of indoor water use goes to flushing the toilet. Low-flow toilet models are good for the environment because they reduce the amount of water used with each flush. However, if a new toilet is not in the budget, use a water saving short-cut like placing a small milk jug in the tank to displace some of the water.

Rethink Transportation – Hybrids are a resourceful idea to cut down on fuel emissions in the atmosphere, but they are an expensive means to an end. Bicycling is a cheaper and ‘good for you’ solution to transportation, but it can also be impractical, especially in rural areas. However, there is a reasonable alternative to the transportation dilemma: carpool. Carpooling with friends or family members is an effective answer to reducing fuel emissions into the atmosphere.

Stop Junk Mail – If you saved all unwanted junk mail that you get throughout the year, it would equal approximately one and a half trees. Across the U.S. almost 100 million trees are wasted every year on junk mail. One way to help is to recycle the junk mail you do receive, but there is a better solution. To help stop junk mail, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd Street, P.O. Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861.

Switch to Fluorescent Bulbs – A home’s lighting can make up 25 percent of the electric used. By switching a home’s incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent ones, you can save energy in your home. Fluorescent light bulbs may be more expensive to begin with, but they last longer and are more efficient than the traditional incandescent ones.

Get Involved Locally – Find out what is going on in your own neighborhood. Look for community clean-up programs to get involved in or start your own. Research adopting a highway through PennDOT’s program to get involved in cleaning up your area. The Clarion area, along with the hometowns of Clarion students, could always use a good clean-up.