Earth Day 2023 – A Celebration on April 22

  The first Earth Day demonstrations were held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day was inspired by Senator Gaylord Nelson (Wisconsin), who was concerned that not enough was being done to address environmental issues, as well as by Vietnam War demonstrations, around the country to promote conservation action and awareness.

  Earth Day and other actions helped inspire the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.

  Without exposing this writer’s exact age, I can tell you that I attended the first Earth Day Celebration in Philadelphia. Thousands of people gathered to listen to music and hear about the importance of protecting Mother Earth. It was a joyous experience. Little did I and others know at the time how seriously the protection of our earth needed to be taken.

  To this day, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 all over the world. Yet the environmental issues that were publicized back in 1970 have not been solved, and in fact many of them have gotten far worse as climate change has taken center stage.

  We still have so much to do, and it is urgent that we act. Every one of us can take action, whether you choose recycling, stopping the use of Styrofoam or plastic containers, eating plants in lieu of meat and dairy, supporting the switch to renewable energy, or all of these.

  The City of Malden, Friends of the Malden River, Malden Community Gardens and other environmentally friendly organizations will join together in April to celebrate Earth Day, hosting a series of events to educate and activate our communities around protecting and improving our environment. On Saturday, April 22, from 12:00-3:00 The Gallery@57 is joining with Creative Malden to host a “Celebration of the Earth” thanks to the sponsorship of East Cambridge Savings Bank and the Mass and Malden Cultural Councils. Artists will show us how they make treasures out of found and recycled materials. The schedule is as follows:

• 12:00: Art of Making Jewelry out of Recycled Aluminum Cans with Ellen Wallace
• 1:00: Art of Making Enhancing Tentacles with Susan Altman
• 2:00: Art of Making Origami Flowers with Elizabeth Scorsello

  Let’s make this Earth Day 2023 a day to make the changes necessary to protect our world.