Earth Day

On this, the 25th Earth Day, here is a list of not-so-simple things you can do for the bay and the planet.The simple things that will be done throughout Maryland in celebrations today are wonderful -- recycle, pick up trash, plant a tree, install fluorescent lights -- who could argue?But sharing the Earth and the Chesapeake, forever, with all the rest of nature is as complex and frustrating, as pleasurable and rewarding, as life itself.Up with citiesFrom metropolis to village, livable urban centers have been a crowning achievement of every great and enduring civilization.

What started in Mount Airy four years ago with the planting of a small tree at Watkins Park has blossomed into a two-day, townwide observance of Earth Day this weekend.Activities new to the Earth Day event reflect the interests of the 10-person committee, said Chairwoman Pam Brewer, a member of the town's Recycling Commission. This year's observance is focused on the theme, "Celebrate Earth Day -- It's a Family Affair."The committee's enthusiasm has resulted in a more child-oriented fair tomorrow, a family concert at a local church tomorrow evening and a 6.2-mile run on Sunday morning.

EARTH DAY is a good time to take stock of our environmental progress since the first observance 28 years ago. We say "progress" because the statistics and the anti-pollution programs point to a significant improvement. But the increases in population and in demand for natural resources continue to limit success of cleanup and conservation efforts.The Chesapeake Bay is the first place that Marylanders look for signs of hope and rebirth. A decade after the launch of the Chesapeake Bay Program to clean up the degraded estuary, levels of phosphorus and nitrogen, which feed eruptions of harmful algae blooms, are down 25 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

The big anniversary was last year, but Howard County residents have planned at least as many Earth Day events this time around. April 22 will mark 31 years since environmentalists first tried to draw attention to the health of the planet with a day of activities and demonstrations. A handful of organizations are planning local events this year. The Howard County Conservancy has activities scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Earth Day at Mount Pleasant Farm, 10520 Old Frederick Road in Woodstock.

It's nothing fancy or elaborate. But supporters of two newly installed rain barrels at St. John's College in Annapolis say the contraptions can make a big difference in the health of nearby creeks and the Chesapeake Bay. That's why the St. John's Board of Friends and members of a student group called Project Politae installed two rain barrels on the college's campus on Wednesday, in hopes of encouraging the school's administration to install more of...

On Saturday, activities around the state will be staged to celebrate Earth Day, including National Wildlife Week at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge in Kent County.Among the planned activities at the refuge on the Eastern Shore will be bird walks, beach cleanups, "Scales and Tales" presentations, a bus tour of the refuge and an open house at the lodge.Exhibits will include wildlife displays, endangered-species presentations, a touch table and arts and crafts activities for children.DNR's "Scales and Tales" program includes live-animal displays and offers instruction on Maryland's varied forms of wildlife.

What better way to celebrate Earth's day than to clean up her children's mess. With that idea in mind, more than 100 volunteers gave up a beautiful weekend morning yesterday to rid U.S. 1 in Howard County of beer bottles, old tires and cigarette butts - the castoffs of careless people. "You want to make a good impression, and trash does not make that good impression," said Jessica Ritter, a county planner who coordinated the campaign. Others also liked the idea of tidying up for Earth Day, officially tomorrow but often recognized on the closest weekend.

It's not hard to love the earth when it's 70 degrees and sunny. But yesterday, at Earth Day celebrations around the area, people proved their commitment to the environment as rain soaked their festivals and cleanup drives. In Federal Hill, volunteers trimmed trees. In Timonium, residents bought compost. In South Baltimore, festival-goers jumped through mud puddles to learn how to live more environmentally sound lives. And throughout Baltimore, volunteers cleaned gutters, raked leaves and picked up trash.

There have been any number of grass roots campaigns that have grown into movements with implications far beyond their founders' imaginings. Earth Day is one of them. Now a global celebration of environmental awareness, Earth Day started small and idealistic, driven by people who were truly frightened of the careless attitude civilization had toward the earth and its resources.In the intervening years, the impact of environmental awareness, fueled by Earth Day advocates and other thoughtful people, has been boundless.

White House officials needed the perfect backdrop for President Clinton's Earth Day speech to the nation. They found it in Havre de Grace.The Harford County city of 10,400 has all the right props: a stunning view of the mouth of the Susquehanna River from a charming, 200-year-old hamlet whose past and future are inexorably tied to the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay."This is one of the great landscapes of America," said Glenn Eugster, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official in Annapolis.