April 16, 2010: Take action to ‘Go Green’ on Earth Day, by Karly Buer

You’ve probably noticed the term “green” being thrown around a lot these days — in the media, technology, politics, household products and even fashion.  With all of the hype surrounding the “Go Green” campaigns, it is easy to become sidetracked from the main objective: Repairing and caring for the Earth while showing nonviolence toward our planet.

There are numerous things that everyone can do throughout the day to make a positive impact on our environment.  For instance, make sure the lights are turned off when you leave a room, walk or carpool instead of driving, help clean up litter and turn the water off while you’re brushing your teeth or washing your hands.  These ideas take very little individual effort, but if the whole community tried them they could make a big positive impact on the environment.

If you are up to making a bigger contribution to help better our planet then the month of April is the perfect time to start.

April 22 is Earth Day.  It is a time to honor the Earth and also inspire people to take action.

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, and an estimated 20 million people participated.  Earth Day is now celebrated every year by more than a billion people in 180 nations around the world.

Planting a tree, organizing a park cleanup or changing your light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs are some of the ways you can get involved.

I encourage you to take some time this month to honor our planet by doing your part to ensure its well-being for centuries to come.

— Karly Buer is a senior at Concordia High School and is the daughter of Kent and Marcy Buer.