Photo: Aurelia Ventura / Impremedia/Real America News
Every year for the past 52 years, the 22 April is celebrated on Earth Day which focuses on creating environmental awareness in the world.
In the United States, Earth Day began in 1970 after seeing for decades that Americans were consuming large amounts of leaded gasoline through massively inefficient cars, explains Earthday.org
In those days air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity but they did not realize that it was also threatening human health.
Professor Barry Commoner, a noted environmentalist and one of the founders of the modern environmental movement, said that the planet was being threatened with destruction and humanity with death.
“The skies stink, children die in infancy and we and the world that is our home, we live on the brink of nuclear annihilation. We are in a crisis of survival,” Commoner said in 1970.
That same year the movement to raise awareness began and every April 22 people from all over the world gather to do some kind of cleaning and help the environment.
A week before Earth Day, in the city of Maywood the community came together to The Great Global Cleanup, a campaign to remove billions of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks, reducing waste and plastic pollution that can harm wildlife and humans.
The event that took place on 16 April was led by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, who represents the area, decided to beautify the streets with a group of volunteers including school children.
Members of Budding Artists, an organization dedicated to art for children from 3 to 5 years old, were part of the participants.
Gloria Martínez, spokeswoman for the organization, said that they are in charge of teaching children that art and nature go hand in hand.
“The best creation that exists from colors and symmetry are the flowers and trees that help us make that link with art,” said Martínez. “So children see that it is important to keep nature clean to enjoy the planet and its art.”
Assemblyman Rendon said that the Los Angeles runs through the heart of the Southeast Los Angeles community and it is important to protect its habitat for generations to come.
“It is only right that, as part of our Earth Day celebrations, we take time to help make our river a more clean and green,” said the assemblyman.
Everyone must recycle
Eric Quintero, a member of the recycling company Waste Management who was also in the event, said that the importance of recycling is to preserve the earth we all call home and it is important to protect the new environment.
“We remind people to do everything possible to recycle in the home,” said Quintero, who made a presentation to show how it is recycled.
He indicated that the company has three recycling rules; 1) recycle all clean bottles, cans, paper and cardboard, 2) keep all food and liquids out of recycling, and 3) do not put plastic bags inside recycling bins or put recycled materials inside a bag before put it in the recycling container.
Quintero said that it is very important that people follow these simple rules so that the recycling is not contaminated since It is common to see that the 52% of the recycling of the cans is usually useless because it is contaminated in some way.