Tomorrow marks the 38th celebration of Earth Day.  The event was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin, who also passed legislation to protect the Appalachian Trail and ban the use of the pesticide DDT.  Since its inception on April 22, 1970, Earth Day has grown from a national event with 20 million participants to an internationally recognized celebration.¹  The purpose of Earth Day is to raise awareness of growing environmental concerns including global warming and the need for clean renewable energy sources.  Find out more about current environmental issues by following the links below.

• What won't you be taking home from Whole Foods?  Find out here.
• Is clean energy affordable?  Check out this article from the March 2008 issue of Business Week.
• Farmers are bowing out of U.S. government conservation program. Read more.
• Interested in tracking evironmental issues? Visit the Science section-environmental issues page at the New York Times or listen to environmentalist Lester Brown discuss biofuel and other current environmental issues on NPR's Worldview.
• Check out the libraries' holdings for books on sustainable living, environmental health, global warming or search the online catalog for other environmental issues.

Interested in what you can do to protect the environment?

• Start at home with energy conservation and recycling.
• Volunteer at a local organization such as Chicago Wilderness or the Chicago branch of the Sierra Club.

Have fun exploring the links that spark your interest and have a happy Earth Day!!! 

_{1 "Earth Day." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 10 Apr 2008 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9442790>.}