Earth Day happens every year, and yet there are few that pay any homage or respect to the environment and celebrate this day, although some may think about it, but don’t know how to make a difference. Well, one way is to start at our school – with a Gardening Club. I’m sure that hot days mixed with dying trees and brittle grass isn’t what your “dream vision” of the school would be. As tempting as it may seem, the solution isn’t to pop in pansies and tulips that will die in two weeks after being neglected as a show of “Earth Day spirit”. Planting annuals does nothing for the ground, and we need to bring in plants that can actually help the soil as well as make it prettier.
So where would we even start? What plants, where would they go, and who would help? Which plants depend on how much sun the species would need, but hardy plants are going to be what we have to opt for. For starters, trees are much stronger in general, and easier to maintain, especially once they are established. A few other plants that could work well include ferns, clover, coneflowers, Black-eyed Susans, and other types of plants that will help the soil as well as make it look pretty.
Even with different ideas of plants that could work, we can’t just plant them anywhere. But it’s not like we don’t have a lot of land that needs work- there’s plenty of barren, dying grass plots all around. As shown in the picture to the left, there are many prime spots that we could start on. The ultimate goal could look something that might be more elevated than Plot B, where there are already good trees and a few other plants.
However, it’s one thing to speak for the trees, and it’s another to actually do anything- so who would? The answer is- you! If we get enough support, we could make this vision a reality. The school already has people that are passionate about biology and gardening; classes are even offered. But if you’re looking for something more relaxing or another extracurricular activity that you’d have fun with- let me know in the poll at the bottom of the article. We also need teacher supervisors, so if any staff wants to help make this happen, please leave a message in the message tab on the right side of the screen, or message The more people we have interested, the better, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. With some support, we could transform our school grounds into somewhere we’re happy to spend time.
But what is the history of environmentalism and Earth Day? It goes back to before the first Earth Day- all the way back to the invention of the first automobiles, during the era of mass consumerism, and the upbringing of popular car brands like Ford and Chevrolets. These automobiles were not as efficient as the ones we have today, and there wasn’t the technology to create electrical cars, causing these automobiles to release high amounts of gas into the atmosphere. However, the majority of Americans had no idea about the amount of pollution they were producing, which was brought to life through Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. This piece of literature acknowledged awareness towards environmental protection, selling more than 500,000 copies across America.
With the acknowledgement of the environment, people started to advocate for a change. A junior senator from Wisconsin, Senator Gaylord Nelson had witnessed the massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, and was inspired by other movements of the time to create his own. Nelson’s approach was through college campuses, as he recruited Denis Hayes- a youth activist, to do teach-ins to escalate the idea to the public. Hayes went to the greatest extent to create a national staff of 85 people, to promote the cause across the land, eventually expanding to include many organizations, and groups. This avocation was changed to be called Earth Day, which immediately sparked the attention of the national media and all over the country.
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was observed, as 20 million Americans came together on the street, parks, and auditoriums, becoming and still is one of the most impactful protests in the world. In 1980, the first principal Earth Day was held at the White House in Washington, DC, which enacted a series of legislation passed to preserve the environment such as the Endangered Species Act, Toxics Substances Control Act, The Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act.
Denis Hayes continued to be approached by environmental leaders throughout the years for other concerns about the environment; including the planets, global warming, and the push for clean energy, which are all mentioned in the Earth Day’s, and activism we have now.
Today, Earth Day is recognized as a national day throughout the world in schools, and associations. Pushing for these factors to improve our environment would be beneficial even for the areas around Walkersville. While air and water energy has improved, global warming continues to increase, causing a loss in biodiversity. Walkersville can help to improve these factors through the execution of a Gardening Club. The planting of trees in our free spaces would help the decreasing amount of biodiversity and improve overall air quality.
Whether you’re ready to advocate for a gardening club here at our school or if you’re still feeling unmotivated- at least keep in mind our Earth in your daily life; don’t leave water running, turn lights off when they’re unnecessary, and pick up small trash when you see it. With a lot of help, we can make a difference on our planet.
If There Was A Gardening Club Available Next Year, Would You Be Interested?
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