Governor Doug Burgum has proclaimed Friday, April 22, Earth Day in North Dakota. Earth Day is an opportunity for all North Dakotans to raise awareness of our state’s natural resources and take personal action to help preserve and conserve them for future generations.
“Protecting and preserving the state’s natural resources is important to the citizens of North Dakota,” said Diana Trussell, manager of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality’s Solid Waste Program. “Earth Day is an opportunity for North Dakotans to adopt conservation habits that will bring about a cleaner, safer and healthier environment for present and future generations.”
Simple ways citizens can celebrate Earth Day, and every day, are by recycling, taking public transportation or carpooling, turning off the lights when leaving a room, planting a tree, and utilizing renewable resources when possible. Earth Day reminds citizens to join in the progress already being made in these areas of the state. For example, on average, around 400 tons of recycling is collected each month through the city of Bismarck’s curbside recycling program. The city of Fargo collects around 2,000 tons of recycling each month; the city of Grand Forks collects nearly 200 tons of recycling each month; and the city of Dickinson collects nearly 125 tons of recycling each month.
Along with citizens of North Dakota, organizations involved in the promotion of Earth Day include the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, the North Dakota Solid Waste and Recycling Association, the Coalition for Conservation and Environmental Education, the Earth Day Planning Committee, and Keep North Dakota Clean. The Bismarck Earth Day Festival is scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, at the Bismarck Event Center from 4:00 to 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public!