On April 19, there was an Earth Day Celebration parade and festival at the South Park and along Mass Street. Families and kids were sitting on the corner of Massachusetts Street, waiting for the parade to start. Once the parade began, some students in the parade were playing Beatles’ music, some people were dancing, waving at each other and shouting “Happy Earth Day!” It was such a nice day to just sit out under the sun and see little kids riding bicycles, smiling and waving at you with flowers in their hands.
After the parade, there was a festival throughout the afternoon. At the festival, live music was playing and more than 60 organizations that care about the environment were tabling to promote themselves and also engage the public with fun activities. Organizations gave out free t-shirts, seeds, informational pamphlets and were selling eco-friendly products and plants. There were canoe boats that kids could go in and take pictures with and lots of game they could play. I liked how it had activities for kids and it was also very informative to adults.
Honestly, I knew that there was a day like “Earth Day” but I didn’t know people in Lawrence were actually doing something to celebrate it. I was amazed to see that so many people were here to support the place we live. Not just Lawrence, but the Earth. I think most of us take everything around us for granted. The organizations at the festival gave out useful information about sustainability. If you really think about starting from the smallest things like recycling, it is quite easy to take care of the place that we all live in.
This year for me, I promised myself that I would not use any plastic water bottles. I got a KU tumbler this semester that I always take around wherever I go. That way, not only do I drink more water but I also reduce the trash that comes with using plastic bottles. Also, I use the back of my old papers to use for math calculations in my accounting classes or other math classes. I think it is important to make sure you recycle your papers but to reuse them beforehand.
The actual earth day is taking place on April 22. How about making one small decision this year to help sustain the Earth? Whether it is using tumbler instead of plastic bottles, or recycling cans, or planting more trees in your background, all the small effort counts. Tell us in the comment below what you are going to do starting from the Earth Day this year!