Earth Day, taking care of the environment Published April 13, 2012 By 17th Civil Engineer Squadron Asset Manager GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- "The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard." - Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day. Earth day was first held on April 22, 1970, and it has since become the largest civic observance in the world. Annually, more than one billion people from 192 countries participate in Earth Day. The modern environmental movement is largely attributed to that first celebration. The annual Earth Day tradition continues to raise support and recognition for environmental causes. Earth Day has also influenced the development of important environmental laws like the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act. Earth day continues to impact local and individual efforts to help protect the planet. Earth Day should not be seen as one day out of the year to do something good for the environment, but rather as a reminder of the environmental practices to uphold year-round. Taking part in Earth Day can be as simple as remembering to recycle, turning off lights before leaving rooms, driving less, and many other simple steps. Done over time, these actions can become second nature to us. Our actions today affect generations to come. We all have the ability to make a personal impact a positive one.
