Earth Day, founded in 1970 by the fledgling environmentalism movement, is Wednesday. At its inception, the movement aimed to bring attention to issues of pollution, waste and the depletion of natural resources.
Now, 45 years later, our nation is in an ongoing conversation about climate change and conservation, but for many Earth Day comes and goes with little notice. In the Kansas City area, we asked people if they knew Earth Day was this week, and asked them if they were planning on recognizing the holiday.
Here is a sampling of their responses:
"I think people seemed to be more interested back then but that might have been because that was my life in college. Earth Day was big back then. But I'm glad people are still keeping it alive. And I hope younger people think this way and start thinking about the Earth and taking care." — John Weiss
"My grandkids reminded me and I read it in the newspaper."
Does Earth Day mean anything to you?
"No, because God created the whole Earth and everything is in it." — Ella Dawson
Did you know Earth Day is this week?
"Yes, we do. It's because I'm Native [American]. We usually pitch in on the reservation and pick up trash on the side of the roads. We'll probably go out to a local park and help out with cleaning. Show the kiddies how to pick up trash and take care of the Earth." — Farron Tso
"No, because I grew up outside of the US. My dad, he’s from Costa Rica my mom is from China. I remember when I was in [John Brown University], my college, and they did like an Earth day thing where they turned off the electricity for the whole day. I think its good because I like to recycle, I like to conserve energy.
--- David Sanchez Tung
"Yes, absolutely. I think at least where my daughter goes to school they do make a big deal out of it so hopefully they're teaching that to the kids." — Laurie Gast