Monday, April 22, was Earth Day, a day to celebrate the planet we live in and all its beauty. It’s recognized every year to demonstrate our support for environmental protection. Environmental groups try to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes views and provokes policy changes. It’s full of celebrations and fun but the importance of the day is to realize what’s going on within our environment and try to change the world for the better.

The main way people can help the environment is through awareness, many environmental problems stay problems because the public is unaware of them. Learning about the issues shows people all the little ways humanity can improve our environment easily and effectively. Recycling is popular because of awareness. People don’t even realize how much good they’re doing just by separating trash. A step further could be as simple as carpooling, or choosing to walk as an alternative for small grocery runs.

New Jersey has been doing a very good job at being green lately, so applaud for our state. The Green Acres Program has preserved more than 650,000 acres of open land and has restored hundreds of parks; it protects 30% of New Jersey. Our citizens have a lot do with that success. Even during these tough economic times the public has been giving the Green Acres Program plenty of support. New Jersey is to be the first state reaching “build out” which means all land parcel is going to be developed or protected. Earth day gives a green star to our state this year!