Thursday, April 22, 2010

Happy Earthday to You!

Today is the 40th anniversary of America’s very first Earth Day. I’ve heard a number of people comment that the character of the event has morphed over the years. It started out as something of a fringe movement with strong anti-business and anti-government overtones. But now it’s almost a showcase for corporate marketing and government initiatives.

State and federal agencies have enacted loads of regulations to protect and enhance our natural environment. All sorts of companies today make a big point of touting their environmental friendliness. And here in Cranberry, we’ve also taken the environmental ethic to heart.

We’ve slashed our energy use, conserved water supplies, recycled all kinds of material, and worked with our partners at Seneca Valley to teach sustainability principles through the schools as well. And just today we learned that one of the projects which our Environmental Coordinator, Lorin Meeder, has been working on with Haine Middle School’s fifth graders has won the state’s grand prize for environmental projects.

So congratulations to Lorin and Haine School teacher Allison Stebbins for the Rain Barrel project they call the “Rainkeepers.” You do us all proud.