Did you know that today is Earth Day in the United States?  It began as an environmental teach-in started by US Senator Nelson in 1970.  Today, it’s purpose is to increase awareness and appreciation for the environment.  One of the things American children might do on this day is to create an Earth Day poster to promote environmental awareness or volunteer to clean up a park or beach. 

April 22 is also Julius Morton’s birthday.  He founded Arbor Day, a national tree-planting holiday, in 1972 which Americans  also observe in April.  Planting trees is a good way to reduce greenhouse gases as the trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.  The Embassy planted 129 olive trees and 43 shade trees on the Embassy’s grounds in 2008, but not all in one day!  That’s me planting one in the photo above.

Here’s a link you can follow to calculate your ecological footprint:  http://earthday.net/footprint/.  To reduce our foot print, the Embassy is implementing a new “Green Embassy” initiative in 2009.  As part of this program, we are establishing a committee to recommend and implement “green” practices.  We’re also taking extra steps to use less energy, recycle, and exploring  ways to use renewable energy sources like solar energy.

Happy Earth Day!