By Alex Minter
April 22, 2022 was Earth Day. Gov. Steve Sisolak led the cleanup of Lake Tahoe. College of Southern Nevada students helped to save the environment to the south.
According to National Today, which tracks major holidays and events, Earth Day is celebrated worldwide every April 22 by billions of people. This is to raise awareness about the importance of the environment.
U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nels created this Day in 1969 because he was so upset about the massive oil spillage off Santa Barbara’s Coast. He called on Americans to take action. There were many issues to be addressed, including pollution from factories and freeways, habitats of animals, and animal extinction. The EPA intervened and laws were passed.
According to National Today website, unfortunately things are worse than the oil spillage. There are increasing natural catastrophes, extreme weather, rising temperatures, coral reefs dying, animals in oceans being contaminated with plastic, and so on. These are major issues. It is possible to make a difference by taking a small action, such as picking up litter on the streets that could have otherwise ended up in the neck of an animal or in an ocean.
According to Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources one of Gov. Sisolaks Earth Day events were organized by staff and volunteers to clean up Lake Tahoe. Litter was removed from the lake in thousands of pounds. Scuba divers clean under the water. This important cause was supported by many other non-profit businesses. This was a good example of what is possible.
Students play an important part at CSN.
Carmela Garcia (CSN student) said that she uses a reusable coffee cup instead of plastic water bottles and recycles as much as possible. One way to help our environment is to just throw things away to just be a decent human being because it’s not hard to walk to a trash can and throw something away.
Angelo Sapien is a CSN student. He said, “I personally try to reduce my carbon footprint by using fewer plastics and using hydro-flasks daily instead.” Las Vegas is a large city. I use thrift shops to reduce the amount of clothes that go to waste.
Majidah Corpsening, a CSN student, stated, “The steps I am taking in order to save the environment here in Las Vegas are to help not litter: recycle your trash.” I don’t buy plastic bags. I also try to conserve electricity. I would encourage my family and friends to do the same. You can help the environment in many ways. One way is to save energy and recycle any trash that can be recycled. The other way is to reduce your food intake. This is how I refer to it: try not to make as much trash.
Robert Burg, a CSN student, said that he drives a hybrid car and tries to conserve water. I also have my own shopping bag. You can make the environment more natural and suited to our needs. Instead of relying on grass that is constantly in need of water, we can use dirt and cactus to conserve it.