Each year we celebrate Earth Day in April. Think of it as a party that honors our one and only planet. The 51st celebration took place on April 22, 2021, with the theme “Restore Our Earth.” As gardeners, we enjoy a wonderful connection to nature through our plants and the insects, birds and other critters that benefit from our gardens and our care. As a gardener and nature lover, I think every day should be Earth Day.

A Little History

The first Earth Day event took place in April 1970. Before that, industrial waste products contaminated waterways, lakes and landfills. Congress that year authorized a new government agency—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act were put in place to protect the land, water and air.

Every person—child or adult—can do a little something to acknowledge and appreciate Earth Day. Here are a dozen ways you can celebrate throughout the year.

Plant a Tree

Settlers in the 1800s sometimes planted “commemorative trees” to celebrate a wedding and thus they were called “wedding trees.” That is still a great idea today—planting a tree to celebrate an event, whether it’s a wedding or a birth, or in memory of a loved one. But you don’t need a special occasion to plant a tree.  After all, they can provide shade, ornamental or edible fruits, fall color, and a nesting place for birds. Native trees also provide food for native insects, which in turn become food for birds.