''Black Beach' - Read and Rise April 2025

I'll be the first to admit I had no idea how Earth Day originated so this book was a great find! This year marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day and while I do believe it's helped us all pay more attention to how we treat our amazing planet, I think we still have ways to go! So we're going to keep trying to celebrate Earth Day every day by being mindful of what we use and throw out and how we care for the world around us.

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It all started with an oil spill off the coast of California in 1969. The aftermath of the spill inspired protests and environmental activism. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin was so moved by what he saw that he planned the first Earth Day event. That first Earth Day in April 1970 (well, the week of the first Earth Day), two-thousand college campuses and ten thousand elementary and secondary schools held workshops, debates, parades, protests, celebrations, concerts, and marches! In the following years, The Environmental Protection Agency was formed and the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act were signed into law. I think what we must remember now though is that we can't become complacent and must continue taking care of this planet we call home.

Featured Story: Black Beach: A Community, an Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day by Shaunna Stith, John Stith, and Maribel Lechuga