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From Earth Day Canada web site at http://www.earthday.ca/pub/index.php

Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide.

More than 6 million Canadians join 1 billion people in over 170 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. Nearly every school child in Canada takes part in an Earth Day activity.

Environmental challenges abound as our daily actions pollute and degrade the fragile environment that humans and wildlife depend on to survive.

What can we do?

Earth Day provides the opportunity for positive actions and results.

First launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States in 1970, Earth Day (April 22) is celebrated as the birth of the environmental movement.

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change. The first Earth Day, spearheaded by Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson and Harvard University student Denis Hayes, involved 20 million participants in teach-ins that addressed decades of environmental pollution. The event inspired the US Congress to pass clean air and water acts, and establish the Environmental Protection Agency to research and monitor environmental issues and enforce environmental laws.

In 1990, two million Canadians joined 200 million people in 141 nations in celebrating the first International Earth Day. In many countries, the global event brought pressure on heads of state to take part in the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to address issues such as climate change and the world wide loss of species.

In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. They range from large public events, such as Victoria’s Earth Walk (5,000 participants), Edmonton’s Earth Day Festival at Hawrelak Park (30,000 participants), and Oakville, Ontario’s Waterways Clean-up (2,000 participants) to the thousands of small, private events staged by schools, employee groups and community groups,

1	Smart Shopping “Buy what you need, not what you want” Consider renting and borrowing things that are seldom needed Buy used items from garage sales and second-hand stores
2	Simple Savers Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs Use aerators on faucets and shower heads Weatherstrip windows and doors
3	Transportation Alternatives Walk, cycle, car pool and use public transportation When driving, reduce idling and maintain correct tire pressure Consider car sharing programs or renting
4	Food Choices Choose local and organic foods that are in season, and support local food producers Eat less meat
5	Washing and Drying Wash full loads of clothes in cold water and hang to air dry
6	Heating and cooling In the summer, set your thermostat to 24°C or 25°C In the winter, set your thermostat to 19°C or 20°C Install ceiling fans and programmable thermostats
7	Close to Home Vacation, travel and work as close to home as possible
8	Bathroom Basics Take short showers instead of baths Close water taps while brushing your teeth
9	Careful Cleaning Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products Make simple, natural cleaners with ingredients like vinegar, baking soda and water
10	Don’t Discard Donate, reuse and recycle items before throwing them into the trash Harmful materials like chemicals, batteries, electronics, etc. should be taken to local hazardous waste depots or recyclers

These are just 10 of the things you can do right now to help save the environment. Find out more and learn exactly how much greenhouse gas, water, electricity and money you can save:

Visit ecoAction Teams today.