When is Earth Day, Exactly?

When I typed "When is Earth Day 2008?" into google this morning, I expected to come up with one universal date. Instead, I got dates starting on March 20 and ending at the end of April. The real answer is that there will be events celebrating Earth Day throughout the month. The biggie will be held in Washington D.C. on April 20, while the actual Earth Day is April 22.

Doesn't matter when it is, we should be doing everything we can to help the earth everyday. Here's some suggestions, courtesy of Organic Style (www.organicstyle.com)

• Do your homework. Read the EPA's "official" history of Earth Day.
  
• Read a livelier history, which puts the first Earth Day into the early 1970s context—when the Beatles made their last album, fiber optics were first developed, and "Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans."
• Plant a tree—it's a two-fer, you're also celebrating Arbor Day. Check out these tree planting kits available for home gardens as well as schools and other groups.
• Eat locally. Celebrate with a meal prepared with foods from within 100 miles—a good way to conserve resources used for transportation and to support organic growers in your area. At our home base in the San Francisco Bay Area, the farmers' markets are overflowing with early spring treats and regional specialties: artichokes, asparagus, Meyer lemons, green garlic, all sorts of greens—drink a holiday toast with an organic chardonnay or cabernet. Do you have your own tasty local menu to tell us about?
• Figure out your environmental footprint—no math skills required. Just take this easy quiz. You may find out how many planets it takes to support a person like you.
  Treat your car to a day in the garage. Take a hike. Ride a bike. Ride the bus. Try out zipcar.
• Join the crowd—at a big public event. View this city guide for Earth Day happenings around the world, in Washington, DC, and close to home.
• Teach your children. Here's one of many good sources of activities to get kids involved with the environment and understanding the meaning of Earth Day.