We should all love the earth every single day, but there is one day every year that reminds us how important it is. We celebrate and acknowledge Earth Day every year, but do we really know how it originated?
Senator Gaylord Nelson is the original founder of Earth Day, which was first celebrated in the 1960s. Here are his own words about its origins:
For several years, it had been troubling me that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political “limelight” once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963.
Earth Day is coming up this weekend, and Shelby Farms has a lot going on to celebrate the occasion. Whether you run in the 5k or hang out at the festival, there is something for everyone to do. This year, we will have a booth, where kids can get in some toothpick shooting practice, shooting our signature frill picks into a target. We will also be selling water and snacks, while donating all of the money made back to the Shelby Park Farms Conservancy.
The Shelby Park Farms Conservancy is a non-profit organization that seeks to improve, beautify, and maintain Shelby Park Farms. They also hold great events every year to raise awareness of environmental issues, such as Earth Day. They are also the legwork behind the Shelby Farms Greenline. This organization does a lot. They also receive absolutely no government funding, which means they rely solely on members, visitors, and donors. To learn more about Shelby Park Farms Conservancy and how you can help out, visit their website.
