Earth Day began 43 years ago on April 22nd 1970, today it is celebrated around the world in over 190 countries. There has been plenty of progress in cleaning up the environment since the first Earth Day. In the US, the EPA was formed and Clean Air and Clean Water Acts were passed shortly after the first Earth Day. The Organic and Local Food Movements have transformed a portion of our agricultural system, automobiles are more fuel efficient, and we’ve come along ways toward implementing renewable energy systems.
Of course there are still plenty of challenges ahead of us including climate change and population growth. But, lets take a moment today to be thankful for the earth that sustains us and for those that have worked so hard to protect our future environment since that first Earth Day 43 years ago!