Today is National Arbor Day. Two of my favorite books are The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. These stories remind us how important our tress are.

Get in a tree mood: Listen to C is for Conifers by They Might Be Giants on itunes.

Celebrate locally: RITree invites everyone to join in celebrating Arbor Day by watching the beginning of a forest, and by honoring the important work of arborists in Rhode Island. The staff at Goddard Memorial State Park and a team of RI arborists, with help from a small army of Tree Stewards, will plant up to 100 trees.

Everyone is invited to the Arbor Day Fair and tree planting. The event will showcase demonstrations by arborists, displays by tree-related organizations and information about proper planting and mulching methods. Raffles every hour, to give away a free tree. Come and learn what it is that arborists do, and meet the people who do it. This is a fair for all ages, so pack a picnic lunch and a blanket, bring the whole family, and enjoy this beautiful park on a spring day.

Details:
Arbor Day Fair and tree planting, sponsored by RITree
Saturday, April 26, 2008 from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Goddard Memorial Park, Warwick, RI
401-764-5885

More Events: Earth Day Cleanup
Clean up events across the city take place throughout the week. Visit What Grows on RI for a listing of locations.

Although Earth Day was officially Tuesday, our trees need a healthy environment in order to grow everyday.
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By Kristen Swanberg
Audubon Senior Director of Education

Earth Day provides a special opportunity –not only to celebrate the wonders and diversity of our planet, but also to explore many of the environmental challenges it faces.

Today there is a lot of talk about climate change and how it is affecting our planet. Newspapers and scientists report that global warming is causing icebergs to melt and creating bizarre weather patterns around the world. Global warming can be a bit overwhelming and a little scary to think about – especially for kids.

It is important to remind them that even though people are the cause of global warming, we are also the solution. And they can play an important part in helping planet Earth. Making simple changes in the way you do things can make a big difference.

Here are some ideas for families:

• First and foremost remember the 3 R’s: REDUCE • REUSE • RECYCLE

• Have children spend more time outside learning and discovering nature in their neighborhoods. The more they know about the environment, the better prepared they will be to help it. And remind them to share what they’ve learned with others.

• Turn your backyard into a wildlife habitat - add birdfeeders, native plants, and water for wildlife.

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The day after Thanksgiving is considered America’s busiest shopping day of the year and the unofficial start of the international Christmas shopping season. In response to society’s mass-consumerism and over-consumption, this day is also celebrated by some as Buy Nothing Day. The idea for this informal holiday originated in 1992 in Vancouver, Canada, and is now celebrated by thousands of activists and concerned citizens all over the world.

I believe the intent of this holiday is important – resist the urge to shop, consume less stuff. This day serves as a reminder to be mindful of our consumption and how it impacts our environment. Instead of shopping, consider buying nothing on the day after Thanksgiving. Choose an alternative activity like take your kids to the park, read a book or make something crafty with stuff you already have at home.

Locally in Providence, you can also celebrate Buy Nothing Day on November 23, 2007, by participating in the annual Winter Coat Exchange. If you have an unused coat, drop it off at the designated area on the State House lawn (directly across from the Providence Place Mall) or if you need a coat, come pick one up free of charge.

Details
11th Annual Winter Coat Exchange
Friday, November 23 from 10 am – 2 pm
State House lawn (directly across from Providence Place Mall)
Rain/snow site:
• St. Patrick’s School, 244 Smith St., Providence
• The Visitors Center, 175 Main St., Pawtucket
For more information, contact Greg Gerritt: 401-331-0529 or gerritt@mindspring.com

When it comes to clothes and shoes that my family no longer wears or never quite fit us, we have always given them away to friends and to area shelters. However, sometimes our sneakers are so well worn, they seem worthy only of the trashcan. Well, I have a new plan for our old sneakers now that I learned about the Nike Reuse-A-Shoe program, which recycles old and unusable shoe material into basketball and tennis courts, soccer fields, and running tracks. This program means less trash in the landfills and more places for kids to play. Did you know it takes between 2,000 and 2,500 pairs of athletic shoes to recycle enough material to build a basketball court surface?

If that isn’t enough incentive, National Geographic for Kids is working towards its third Guinness World Record for the longest chain of shoes. Once the magazine reaches its goal, it plans to donate the sneakers to the Nike Reuse-a-Shoe program.

Thanks to Andres Salmeron, a seventh grader at the Wheeler School in Providence who has organized a local effort, you can easily participate. Just drop your worn athletic shoes into the containers outside Providence’s City Hall or the Center for Environmental Studies at Brown University.

Deadline for Guinness World Record: January 22, 2008.

Here are some everyday things to do.
• Keep our air clean - Walk or bike when you can, instead of driving.
• Save electricity - Turn off lights, appliances, and computers when not in use.
• Help the trees - Read books from the library. Recycle newspapers, magazines, and cardboard.
• Learn how to reuse and recycle the right way.

Earth Day is April 22, 2007.
In 1969, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin helped pass legislation to establish a special Environmental Teach-in called Earth Day every Spring. More from Wikipedia.

Activities to celebrate our environment:
• Read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, play the online game.
• Read The Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin.
• Join the Environmental Kids Club.
• Get connected to more great environmental kid sites.
• Shop at a local thrift shop. (Check Shopping at Kidoinfo).
• Keep stuff out of landfills, see free and barter sections on Craigslist.
• Donate old toys, clothes, and furniture to a local organization.
• Watch Al Gore’s Academy Award-winning movie, An Inconvenient Truth.
• Grab a bag and put on gloves: help clean up your local park or beach.
• Start a “Trash” box. Save cardboard tubes, selected broken toys, etc., for future projects.
• Make “Treasures from your Trash” with your kids - create a robot, a house, etc.
• Play games with Max Man.
• Have kids design their own Earth Day Super Hero - draw it, sculpt it, build it with LEGOs.
• Take a walk in the woods.
• Have a picnic outside. Listen to the birds.

Local events:
• Attend the Party for the Planet at Roger Williams Park Zoo.
• Visit the Audubon Society of Rhode Island.
• Clean up your community. Find a list of dates and places to help clean up Rhode Island.
• Earth Day Spring Cleanup: April 7, 8 am - 1 pm. Narragansett Town Beach, North Pavilion Parking Lot. More info.

Tell us (click comments below) about your favorite everyday Earth Day activity or submit a local Earth Day event.