Earth Day Coming Up

Picture courtesy of
http://veimages.gsfc.nasa.gov//2429/globe_east_540.jpg

I was there at the first Earth Day (22 April 1970) Teach-Ins. Earth day was started by Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S.senator of the state of Wisconsin. My birthday is every April 22nd, also, just like Earth Day.

I believe things have gotten somewhat worse since that first Earth Day in 20101. For one thing...there is way more garbage! Black plastic trash bags were not even invented in 1970! Everyone was still lining their garbage cans with newspaper.
Interesting. Now we have products in the super market with so much packaging! Like the 100 calorie pack foods. No one ever dreamed of drinking water from single use plastic bottle that would then be discarded. You can be sure that at these "teach ins", no one had a water bottle with them.

Stevens Point, WI (my hometown) was very active that first Earth Day. There were meetings called "Teach Ins" all over the city. The whole city is very environmentally aware! Why? I believe it is because most of the folks who live here
are descended from farmers who had to depend on the land. And because the university there (UWSP) attracts those who love the natural environment. You can go there and major in Water...or Soils..or Natural Resources. Every aspiring elementary teacher had to take a required 3 credit class called Natural Resources. Mine was taught by Mr. Irving Korth and was a life changing class for me.

Stevens Point is a lovely town...completely walkable..and has the famous Green Circle Trail that you can walk or bike. Plus, you can bike out of the city in any direction and luxuriate in all the beauties of the country side on endless country roads.
I love the earth! I love Stevens Point...I love life. I love my family! I love all my friends.


all Creation in our view
Is quite as marvelous as you.
Come, let us on the sea-shore stand
And wonder at a grain of sand;
And then into the meadow pass
And marvel at a blade of grass;
Or cast our vision high and far
And thrill with wonder at a star;
A host of stars--night's holy tent
Huge-glittering with wonderment.

If wonder is in great and small,
Then what of Him who made it all?
In eyes and brain and heart and limb
Let's see the wondrous work of Him.
In house and hill and sward and sea,
In bird and beast and flower and tree,
In everything from sun to sod,
The wonder and the awe of God

Happy April! Happy Earth Day!
~from The Wonderer
by Robert Service