Approximately 50 years ago today in 1970, millions of Americans gathered in cities across America to demand a better environment. That first Earth Day would turn out to be one of the largest civic events ever and resulted in a modern environmental movement that has made a profound impact on our planet.
Especially in these difficult times, our local environment brings hope and joy to residents and visitors alike, and the City wants to mark Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary today with a few announcements and opportunities for environmental action.
The City is excited to announce the winners of our Green Citizen and Green Student Awards. The Green Citizen Award goes to the Save Oswit Canyon Team and community of donors and supporters. This community-wide effort will result in the permanent preservation of over 100 acres of open space. The Green Student Award goes to Charlotte Ireland, a 5th grade student from Desert Learning Academy that is raising awareness about the challenges of single-use plastics in our environment.
The City has also launched an Earth Action page on its Sustainability web site that includes a variety of other actions that residents can take including: take a Personal Environmental Pledge; participate in the Neighborhood Environmental Challenge; view our Shelter-in-Place Environmental Photo Contest submissions and winners; watch award-winning environmental movies; access a variety of free environmental publications that our Library staff has organized; and participate in virtual Earth Day events being organized by others.
“Even though Earth Day Happens once a year, the Palm Springs community knows that every day is Earth Day and our environment is one of the key things that makes Palm Springs like no place else,” said Patrick Tallarico, manager of the Office of Sustainability.
For more information about the Office of Sustainability, including updates on sustainability-related City services impacted by the COVID-19 response, visit www.yoursustainablecity.com.