Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd each year. It raises awareness about our planet's critical environmental challenges and mobilizes efforts to address them.
Families Join Earth Day 2024 Festivities
Earth Day festivities took place at the Hollidaysburg Area Junior High School seventh-grade gymnasium, featuring local vendors, crafts, and animal ambassadors, notably a trio of turtles representing the conservation district.
Lisa Hahn, an education specialist with the conservation district, highlighted the turtles' prominence, stating, "Turtles are always the star of the show."
Hahn introduced Betty the box turtle, the eldest among them, estimated to be between 70 and 100 years old. She explained that turtle shells have growth rings akin to trees, enabling conservationists to estimate their age by counting the rings.
The Earth Day Festival boasted nearly two dozen vendors, including Warriors Mark Gourds, overseen by Linda Branstetter of Tyrone. Visitors were drawn to the brightly painted and adorned gourd birdhouses, along with rustic gourd garland.
Branstetter revealed that the gourds are harvested from their crops, and left to cure in the fields over winter before being collected, cleaned, painted, and sealed. Not only decorative, they can function as birdhouses, she noted.
Another popular booth, Sunshine & Succulents by Cindy Ritchey of Martinsburg, offered succulent plants in colorful pots and containers. Attendees, both kids and adults, enjoyed crafting their sand art pieces, complemented with a succulent plant to take home.
Ritchey, a retired teacher, expressed her fondness for participating in small community events, mentioning her presence at other local gatherings like the Hollidaysburg Farmers Market during summer. She emphasized the appeal of succulents due to their low maintenance, advising, "The key to succulents is don't overwater them."
Children Actively Celebrates Earth Day 2024 in Support for Planet
Sir David Attenborough has lent his voice to nature documentaries for over seven decades, receiving global appreciation as the representation of the natural world. However, with the increasing challenges facing our environment, one voice alone cannot adequately represent Planet Earth.
In honor of Earth Day on April 22nd, the esteemed BBC documentary series Planet Earth III has collaborated with BBC Children in Need to debut a special episode, narrated uniquely by schoolchildren. These children, aged nine to thirteen, recite from Sir David Attenborough's original scripts, delivering heartwarming performances that underscore the potential of youthful voices in advocating for the planet.
Fifty student narrators, budding naturalists, were selected from schools recognized by BBC Children in Need for their active fundraising efforts across the UK in recent years.
An estimated 100,000 students nationwide will participate in a virtual assembly led by wildlife biologist, explorer, and presenter Lizzie Daly, providing a platform for an insightful Q&A session with the producers of Planet Earth III.
Building on the success of the Voice for Nature initiative's first phase, which featured prominent figures such as Dua Lipa, Gary Lineker, and Ian Wright, this latest installment aims to once again highlight the significance of advocating for our planet.
Lizzie Daly, Wildlife Biologist, Explorer, and Presenter, expresses excitement about hosting the Become a Voice for Nature live schools assembly on Earth Day, encouraging schools nationwide to download resource packs and participate in learning about the planet and how to protect it.
