By Pauline Benetti
Special to The PREVIEW
The Earth Week calendar is shaping up as we plan the 2019 Earth Day celebration.
The Southwest Organization for Sustainability (SOS) has been in overdrive as it encourages individuals, organizations and businesses to come forth with the event or activity that they would like to sponsor during the week following Earth Day, April 22.
In addition, SOS is organizing an Earth Day Fair to take place at the PLPOA Clubhouse on April 27 and invites individuals and organizations to reserve a table. Food and music will add to the festivities.
Other activities during April will include a Lifelong Learning talk at the library, the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership (GGP) Environmental Film Festival, neighborhood cleanups, a hike, the Mountain High Garden Club Expo and plant giveaways at the GGP dome in Centennial Park — and this is just the beginning. More events and details will be forthcoming. Look for the final schedule of events on www.sospagosa.org and on flyers around town and in The SUN newspaper.
The 2018 week was an astounding success with folks coming out to all activities, and we want this year to be even bigger. It is “We the people” who must stand up in the face of the monumental task of ensuring that our planet remains a healthy home for all species now and forever.
This is a call, then, to all of Pagosa Springs — whether individual, school, class, organization, business — to take a stance. How would you like to celebrate Earth Day? What form would that take? Your contact person is Holly Metzler at pagosa100percent@gmail.com or at 946-0037.
A brief historical review will show how effective “we the people” have been. April 22 will be the 49th celebration of Earth Day, which began in 1970 with a demonstration by 20 million Americans and has resulted in the passing of legislation. The Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts all came out of this effort — legislation which today is in danger of revocation.
In 1990, Earth Day went global with 200 million people in 141 countries participating. Today, more than 1 billion people from 192 countries participate, and the need has never been greater. Check www.earthday.org for more details. This year’s campaign is to protect our species and to end plastic pollution.
Our motivation for this Earth Day Celebration is found in these words by Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
