The first time I think I heard of Earth Day was 15 or so years ago in college. Maybe I had heard of it before, but that’s as far back in my memory as I can remember it. I didn’t do anything special to save the earth that day or to make a change for the better. I bought a t-shirt because the shirt looked cool, but that was about it. As I grew up I learned to appreciate the nature I’d been playing in since I was a kid I started to see how fragile it really was. It was then – as an adult – that I started doing my part to make the world a better place and to try to preserve what was left.

As a hiker I try to do simple things like taking trash with me and not leaving it at a camp site, staying on the trail to prevent erosion, carpooling to the trailhead, and supporting outdoor gear companies that give back to the environment that provide them with their business.

As a parent I’m teaching my little boys to recycle, to plant trees, and to protect what is going to be even rarer in their lifetime. My parents pulled themselves out of poverty and gave me a better life than they had. Now I’m going to do something equally important and teach my kids love and protect the earth in ways society forgot in the struggle for better lives.

I think as we become more aware of the damage we’re doing to the environment the more important Earth Day will become. Christmas is important to many of us because it’s a time to spend with family and a reminder of our right to worship as we choose. Fourth of July is important to Americans as a reminder of the freedom our ancestors fought for and that we continue to fight for and develop. And now Earth Day may become just as important as we begin to appreciate how fragile our planet is and how important the fight is to protect her.

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