There were simply no legislative mechanisms in place to protect our environment in the spring of 1970. Literally, the Environmental Protection Agency did not exist, and there was no Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act, so Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, founded Earth Day to put the environment on center stage. Climate change means that the environment must remain on center stage, and locally, Earth Day celebrations, benefits and rallies on April 22 are helping to spread the word of environmental disaster if we don’t change our ways fast. From the annual Buffalo Exchange Earth Day Dollar Sale (proceeds go to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee), to benefits for the Community Rights Lane County and its mission to protect Lane County’s watersheds and Beyond Toxics, a community-driven environmental justice movement. Beyond Toxics also hosts on Saturday the Pollinator Garden Work Party at the Churchill Community Garden. As always, there will be an Earth Day Rally for Forests and Climate Saturday afternoon at the old Federal Building featuring a talk by state Sen. James Manning and performance by the Raging Grannies. Cap off the day at WildCraft CiderWorks with the Fiddlehead Festival. The festival starts Friday, April 21, and Saturday’s free family-driven events include music from Baroque Betty, Mood Area 52 and Casanostra.  

More information about the April 22 Earth Day events can be found in the What’s Happening calendar.