Happy Earth Day!

Take part in an Earth Day event — or
celebrate in your own way

People are thinking more and more about the environment — whether it’s
something that affects the quality of life here in Wichita Falls or global issues such as
climate change and extreme weather.

But more importantly, people aren’t content with simply thinking about these things any more.
They’re focused on taking action.

Earth Day, which is celebrated April 22, is the perfect time to
take action, whether you are looking to take part in a community event or
organize your own. Here are some tips to help you get involved — and think
about our planet Earth all through the year.

Find an
event

It’s easy to find Earth Day events, whether you live in Wichita Falls or Holliday. 
City and town Facebook pages are a great place to start, along with the
websites of local environmental organizations. Newspapers, radio and TV often
publicize events as well.

The Environmental Protection Agency website lists major Earth Day
activities at http://www.epa.gov/earthday/index.html.

What can I
do?

There are all kinds of Earth Day activities, even some you can
easily complete by yourself or with your family. Examples include:

·        
Planting trees

·        
Cleaning up litter from a natural area or park

·        
Adopting a road for litter control

·        
Talking about Earth Day and helping to educate
others

·        
Using alternate transportation, instead of taking
your car

·        
Holding a garage sale or clothing swap, rather
than throwing out unwanted items

·        
Learning more about actions you can take to
reduce your environmental impact

What if I
want to organize an event?

Hosting an event doesn’t have to be a Herculean task, particularly
if you keep it small. Any of the ideas above could be turned into your own
event — just get the word out via social media, friends and family or even
local print and broadcast media. But if you do want to organize a full-scale
event, go for it!

Make it
more than a day

Of course, one of the best ways to have an impact is to make every
day your own Earth Day. You can take part in earth-friendly activities at any
time! So in addition to celebrating once a year, make this April 22 just the beginning of something special.

And whether you find an event or create your own, the important
thing is getting involved!