Take part in an Earth Day event — or celebrate in your own way

People are thinking more and more about the environment — whether it’s something that affects the quality of life here in Oregon, Washington, and elsewhere, or global issues such as climate change and extreme weather.

But more importantly, people aren’t content with simply thinking about these things any more. They’re focused on taking action.

Earth Day, which is celebrated April 22, is the perfect time to take action, whether you are looking to take part in a community event or organize your own. Here are some tips to help you get involved — and think about our planet Earth all through the year.

Find an event

It’s easy to find Earth Day events, whether you live in Beaverton, Portland, or elsewhere. City and town Facebook pages are a great place to start, along with the websites of local environmental organizations. Newspapers, radio and TV often publicize events as well.

The Environmental Protection Agency website lists major Earth Day activities at http://www.epa.gov/earthday/index.html.

What can I do?

There are all kinds of Earth Day activities, even some you can easily complete by yourself or with your family. Examples include:

• Planting trees
• Cleaning up litter from a natural area or park
• Adopting a road for litter control
• Talking about Earth Day and helping to educate others
• Using alternate transportation, instead of taking your car
• Holding a garage sale or clothing swap, rather than throwing out unwanted items
• Learning more about actions you can take to reduce your environmental impact

What if I want to organize an event?

Hosting an event doesn’t have to be a Herculean task, particularly if you keep it small. Any of the ideas above could be turned into your own event — just get the word out via social media, friends and family or even local print and broadcast media. But if you do want to organize a full-scale event, go for it!

Make it more than a day

Of course, one of the best ways to have an impact is to make every day your own Earth Day. You can take part in earth-friendly activities at any time! So in addition to celebrating once a year, make this April 22 just the beginning of something special. At Fox Insurance Agency we encourage and support community involvement, and whether you find an event or create your own, the important thing is getting involved!

The information in this article was obtained from various sources and is not all inclusive regarding the subject matter. This content is offered for educational purposes only and does not represent contractual agreements, nor is it intended to replace manuals or instructions provided by the manufacturer or the advice of a qualified professional. The definitions, terms and coverage in a given policy may be different than those suggested here and such policy will be governed by the language contained therein. No warranty or appropriateness for a specific purpose is expressed or implied.