As you may probably know, Earth Day is officially on Wednesday, April 22. I was thinking about what this day really signifies, and it brought me back to my first real experience and awareness of ‘Earth Day’.
Flash back to over 12 years ago, when I was still a college student, I recall annual events on campus commemorating this day. I did not think too much about it at the time, despite having a general sense and appreciation for the environment. I remember there being a booth run by a group of fellow students, whom were referred to as the ‘hippies’ or ‘tree-huggers’, handing out information on Earth Day. I was, of course, intrigued to learn more, but I will be honest… I wanted one of the cool T-shirts they were giving away- there was a white one with a cool black & white globe. (By the way, I still have the T-shirt today, and it remains one of my favorites!) I decided to go over to the booth and see what ‘Earth Day’ was all about. Fifteen to twenty minutes later, I walked away with a pamphlet in one hand, “cool” T-shirt in the other, and the intention to never litter again.
 Who would have thought back then that today the term ‘Green’ would be an every day word and that recycling would be second nature, or that global warming would be such an important issue? Of course, if I had known then what I know now, I would have done my part much earlier to preserve our environment- but my feeling is that it’s never too late for anyone to learn to help make our earth a healthier place.
 If you would like to find out about Earth Day events in the CT/NY area,visit:
http://www.ct.gov/dep/cwp/view.asp?a=2688&Q=322356&depNav_GID=1511
http://www.earthdayny.org/events.html
Written by Camille Urbano, Relocation Coordinator, Calcagni Associates
