And Tree Makes Three.

April 22 marks the anniversary of what many earth enthusiasts consider the birth of the modern environmental movement, which officially began in 1970. The year of 1970 also brought other significant pop culture events including the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Yes, the year of 1970 brought many angry protests, but the environment was not the primary concern. There is no denying that at that time Americans were carelessly overfilling their gas tanks, pollution was a sign of prosperity, and the word “environment” was one found in a dusty dictionary not on the evening news.

Earth Day celebrations in 1970 exploited the energy of anger anti-war protesters and found a cult following in the people proud to be labeled as “hippie.” 20 million Americans took part and flocked to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable, and clean environment. Today, the fight for a clean environment continues with an increasing urgency.

In effort to extend the awareness beyond April 22 and continue our support to a healthy, sustainable, and clean environment we planted a tree and pledge to leave the plastic at home during weekly grocery trips. True, a small, seemingly insignificant action and pledge…The numbers may surprise you—and who knows change your mind about planting a tree or leaving your plastic at home:

One Tree:

-An average size tree produces enough oxygen in one year to keep a family of four breathing.

-Trees increase the value of property. Houses surrounded by trees sell for 18-25 percent higher than houses with no trees.

-Three trees planted in the right place around a house can cut air-conditioning costs up to 50 percent.

-Hospital patients who have a view of trees heal faster, use fewer pain medications, and leave the hospital sooner than patients with a view of a brick wall.

-A Tree in the landscape relaxes us, lower heart rates, and reduces stress.

One Plastic Bag:

-Plastic bags kill 200 thousand animals annually.

-Plastic bags are non-biodegradable and take about 1000 years for them to degrade.

-The UK, banning plastic bags would be the equivalent of taking 18,000 cars off the roads each year.

-It takes approximately 60-100 million barrels of oil to make the world’s plastic bags each year, increasing the United States; dependence on foreign sources of energy.

An easy task (i.e., planting a tree), a mindful modification (i.e., leaving your plastic at home), or both can make anyone’s footprint smaller, a lot smaller. Below is a picture our beautiful tree; can you feel your heart rate lowers and the stress of your day melting away?


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