The first Earth Day, back in 1970, may have been just a token nod to Mother Nature for some but over four decades later it has become a worldwide celebration.

The actual Earth day is April 22nd, but here in Oregon it’s morphed into a week-long event. Everything from an ivy pull at Wagon Wheel Park in Clackamas to Sherwood’s Trashpalooza litter removal is set for Saturday April 26th. It’s all sponsored by SOLVE, and with over 150 volunteer projects to choose from, we thought we’d pass along a list.

So why not invest some time in our planet’s future? Or to quote American astronaut Scott Carpenter.

This planet is not terra firma. It is a delicate flower and it must be cared for. It’s lonely. It’s small. It’s isolated, and there is no resupply. And we are mistreating it. Clearly, the highest loyalty we should have is not to our own country or our own religion or our hometown or even to ourselves. It should be to the planet. This is our home, and this is all we’ve got.

— Scott Carpenter, Mecury 7 astronaut, speech at Millersville University, Pennslyvania. 15 October 1992

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PRP