Winning essay from Houlton students

Imagine waking up to a dark Earth; an Earth with no green trees to climb, no clear rushing water to swim and to drink and no fresh smelling air to breathe. No one wants to live in a world that is polluted and lifeless. But what can we do to keep our precious earth clean and full of life? Celebrate Earth Day, of course, and not just one day a year, but every day!
Earth Day was created in 1970 by a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin named Gaylord Nelson. He had a dream that we would all come together to keep our earth clean for years to come, and the amazing thing is that we have been celebrating this awesome day for 40 years this April!
So, as we celebrate this incredible 40th Earth Day this year, what could our families do to keep our earth healthy? Could we plant flowers or a tree in our yards to increase the earth’s oxygen? Could we limit our time in the shower and wash our cars less often to save water? When our family is not home could we keep the lights off to conserve much needed energy?
Even choosing one of these ideas can make a huge difference to the earth and show others how important it is to celebrate the earth every day, not just on April 22nd. So as we celebrate the 40th Earth Day this year, let’s not only be thankful for rainbow colored sunsets, for tall awesome mountains, and for cool rushing water in our lakes and streams, but also for the fact that Earth Day is a reminder to never take this priceless earth for granted. We must all work together to keep our world clean and beautiful. Imagine waking up to a colorful Earth; an earth with green trees to climb, clear rushing water to drink, and fresh smelling air to breathe. That is what Earth Day is all about.

Earth Day is about taking care of our planet and ourselves. It was started 40 years ago. There are many ways we can celebrate Earth Days 40th birthday by beginning new habits that promote a healthy planet and people.
Celebrating Earth Day should start at home. Families could change things they normally do in order to make the planet and themselves healthy. First, they could start by cleaning up their neighborhoods, all the trash and garbage in their yards and on the streets. Families could ride bikes or walk to work, school, the store, and the park. If they do walk or ride their bikes instead of driving a car, they will make less pollution and not waste gasoline. They will also get some exercise. Families could also plant a garden. Gardens grow healthy fruits and vegetables you don’t have to drive to the store to get! Taking care of a garden is also good exercise! While you are planting a garden, plant trees as well!
Another way for families to honor Earth Day is to “make recycling a way of life.” Instead of buying bottled water you could fill a pitcher with water to keep in the refrigerator and use that to fill a drinking cups or sports bottles. Drinking less juice boxes is good for your health and makes less trash. If you prefer bottled water, remember to recycle the bottle. Not using too much water and electricity is also important….family members should turn off lights and water when they are not in use. To celebrate Earth Day’s 40th birthday, you could start a local group in your community to promote the ideas above. Your group could inform families about the earth and healthy habits. You could organize a group to clean up garbage in the town or collect bottles for recycling. Someone could be on hand to teach families how to plant a garden. The group should do fun activities so more people will want to join. If a lot of people join in, our Earth and families will be healthy for many years to come. Happy 40th Birthday, Earth Day.