Image: earthday.org
Earth Day turns 40 on April 22, and Addison residents are coming up with all kinds of creative ways to make the most of the occasion. In doing so, they’ll be joining a celebration that has grown from local activism in most major U.S. cities to an event shared by hundreds of millions of concerned citizens around the globe.
In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, developed the idea for Earth Day. Nelson envisioned a large-scale demonstration “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.”
Nelson unveiled the concept at a conference in Seattle in the fall of 1969. On April 22, 1970, rallies were held in most major American cities.
In New York City, Mayor John Lindsay closed off a portion of Fifth Avenue to traffic for several hours. In Washington, D.C., thousands of people listened to speeches and performances by singer Pete Seeger and others. Congress recessed to allow members to address their constituents at Earth Day events.
In the 40 years since, Earth Day celebrations have continued to grow. In 1990, the event went worldwide, with 200 million people in over 140 nations participating, according to the Earth Day Network, a nonprofit organization that coordinates Earth Day activities. This year, the EDN expects more than one billion people to participate around the world.
Here are just a few of the events scheduled in Addison on and around the big day:
April 22: Marriott Employee Trash Pickup (Midway Road) Managers and Associates representing the four Addison Marriotts will pick up trash and debris in the tree line south of the railroad tracks east and west of Midway Road to recognize Earth Day as part of their “Environmental Awareness Month.” The Parks Department will provide trash bags for the employees, who will fill and tie the bags and leave them for the Parks Department to pick up and discard. Staging will be underneath the Arapaho Bridge in the parking lot behind Charter Furniture.
April 24: “Maximize Your Irrigation” (Addison Athletic Club) Addison resident Bill Jensen of Norway Irrigation will offer irrigation tips at the next quarterly event sponsored by the Addison Arbor Foundation. The talk will be held in the multi-purpose room from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Admission is free, but reservations are highly recommended. E-mail the Foundation or call (972) 490-4326.
April 24: Mary Kay Earth Week Community Tree Planting Project (Landmark Drive) Mary Kay will donate and plant 15 30-gallon, 8-foot tall ‘Tuscarora’ Crape Myrtles on the two center medians on Landmark Drive just north of Belt Line Road. Twenty Mary Kay employees will work on the project from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Parks Department will coordinate plant spacing and assist traffic control.
Tags: Addison, Addison Athletic Club, Addison Marriotts, Earth Day, Wellness Expo
