Morning, everyone!
I hope you enjoyed some nice weather for Earth Day. If not…fingers crossed that it’s coming soon!
In Civics This Week
Around this time of year, many of us are venturing back outdoors, starting gardens, and renewing our appreciation for the ecosystems around us. Today, I’m providing some government information resources in honor of Earth Day and (hopefully) warm spring weather.
1. Earth Day at the EPA
Many government agency websites maintain Earth Day pages or publish Earth Day blogs. The EPA publishes one of the more prominent Earth Day pages. It provides a peek into archival material on the history of Earth Day, as well as teaching and learning resources.
2. What to Plant (EPA)
The EPA website also has a “What to Plant” page, which is useful to look at around this time of year. This page helps you identify your USDA plant hardiness zone, gives tips on water-efficient landscaping, and very usefully provides links to native plant databases and indexes for each state. This is a fantastic resource for amateur or newbie gardeners!
3. Climate.gov
You can’t talk about Earth Day without talking about climate change. Climate.gov provides frequent news updates on global climate research, as well as interactive tools and a particularly interesting resource called the “U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit” that helps communities prepare for the impact of various climate projections.
4. Celebrate Earth Day with NASA
The NASA website has one of the richest Earth Day pages this year, with plenty of resources and virtual opportunities to explore. Check out these NASA citizen science projects, which give you the opportunity to participate in real research initiatives. These serve as great opportunities to get outside with friends and family and learn more about the planet.
5. National Park Week (NPS)
This week is also National Park Week, which always encompasses Earth Day. The NPS website maintains a lengthy resource page for Earth Day, which includes many different sources of information on conservation, including virtual park experiences that you can explore from your own home. I definitely recommend checking these out!
In Conclusion
This is just a small sampling of government websites that provide interesting and useful Earth Day resources to help us learn more about our planet. Try looking on other government websites and let me know what you find in the comments!
See you next week.
All screenshots were taken on 4/23/2022.
Meh.
Earth day doesnt matter.
Government resources on earth day are going to come from the government.
Isn't this WEIRDLY pro government propagandy?
Aren't there non-government bodies better suited to giving us environmental information?
Post some good academics or something. Experts. Not that I trust the expert class, but I might trust some of em. The good ones.
I poked around in the EPA "What to Plant" section; wish I had known about his years ago!