Woodcraft Gives Arbor Day and Earth Day Organizers a “High Five”
PARKERSBURG, W. Va. (PRWEB) April 15, 2019 -- There seems to be a day dedicated to just about everything – including National High Five Day on Thursday, April 18. Although the High Five hand gesture is a congratulatory or celebratory greeting between two people, Woodcraft is borrowing it to commend two organizations that work year round to promote planting and nurturing trees and a healthier, safer environment.
The National Arbor Day Foundation sponsors National Arbor Day (April 26, 2019) to celebrate the importance of trees for people and the environment. The Earth Day Network sponsors Earth Day (April 22, 2019) to publicize environmental issues that need addressed worldwide.
“Woodcraft applauds the Arbor Day Foundation and the Earth Day Network for keeping issues affecting trees, as well as the whole environment, publicized and promoted. Since Woodcraft serves woodworkers, who use wood to create everything from furniture to pepper mills, the company is eager to support efforts to maintain a healthy tree population,” Woodcraft President/Chief Executive Officer Jack Bigger said.
Protecting Trees
On March 20, The Arbor Day Foundation announced its Time for Trees initiative, a commitment to plant 100 million trees in forests and communities worldwide by 2022 – the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day. The Foundation says the initiative will leverage trees as a simple, powerful way to preserve the necessities of life on Earth that are becoming increasingly compromised, as well as reverse the damage done by climate change.
"It can be easy to take trees for granted, but they are absolutely critical to maintaining balance on our planet – supporting clean air and water, healthy food and a livable climate," said Dan Lambe, president of the Foundation. "With an estimated 18 million acres of forests lost globally each year, that balance is being shaken, and the Time for Trees initiative – our organization's largest undertaking to date – will provide a powerful solution."
The need for an ongoing effort to plant trees was recognized nearly a century and a half ago by J. Sterling Morton, editor of the first newspaper in Nebraska, a treeless plain in the 1850s. In 1872 the Nebraska Board of Agriculture accepted his resolution to set aside a day to plant trees “both forest and fruit,” and set the date for April 10. Today National Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday in April. All 50 states, Puerto Rico and some U.S. Territories have passed laws adopting Arbor Day, which is celebrated on a date appropriate for tree planting in their region.
Protecting the Environment
The first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, brought together 20 million Americans from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement that was followed by the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and other groundbreaking environmental laws. The landmark event also led to the Earth Day Network’s founding, with a mission to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Earth Day is now global, mobilizing 200 million people in more than 190 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.
Earth Day Network (EDN) has chosen Protect Our Species for the 2019 campaign. According an EDN press release, “Studies estimate that we are now losing species at 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal rate. Insect populations have decreased by more than 45% worldwide; 40% of the world’s bird species are in decline; beekeepers report annual hive losses of 30% or higher, and the list goes on.” Trees, coral reefs, whales, elephants, plants, fish, sharks, crustaceans, sea turtles, and great apes are also among the species listed that need protection.
“The good news is that the rate of extinctions can still be slowed, and many of our declining, threatened, and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, faith leaders, and scientists to demand immediate action,” says Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network.
Earlier in March, in Nairobi, Kenya, Earth Day Network, the U.S. Department of State through the Eco-Capitals Forum, and the Wilson Center announced the launch of Earth Challenge 2020 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day In 2020.
Earth Challenge 2020 is a global citizen science initiative that shows how small digital acts can add up to global change. Using mobile technology and open, connected citizen science data, EC2020 will get a snapshot of world’s environment and health and empower people around the world to have an impact on future global policy decisions.
For more information about the Arbor Day Foundation and the Earth Day Network, visit visit this Woodworking Adventures blog, arborday.org or earthday.org.
Lori Harper, Woodcraft Supply LLC, http://www.woodcraft.com, +1 (304) 865-4107 Ext: 2107, [email protected]
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