Earth Day has always been a big deal to me. The first Earth Day came about when I was 10 years old in 1970. The school I attended got involved. We picked up litter on some city blocks around the school. My parents had always taught me to be a good steward of the environment. When we went camping, we were taught to always leave the site cleaner than we found it. Over the years I have attended many Earth Day events. Beach Cleanups, River Cleanups, as well as Invasive Species Removal events. With the passing of the years it has become much more than just a special day on the calendar. It has become an urgent mission to save the planet of our birth.

Over the passage of time, many more people have become involved, but it has still not been enough. It is a very scary time that we live in. From Garbage Patches and Microplastics in the ocean, to Bomb Cyclones and Category 5 Hurricanes, it seems like planet earth is crying out in pain. 2020 has been brutal, the West is burning down and the ice is melting, combined with other extreme weather events. The world powers have never seemed to view the world’s problems with enough urgency.

I remember how excited I was in 2016 with the Advent of the Paris Climate Accord, finally seeing the world coming together to fight Climate Change. It was such a huge disappointment to see the United States pull out after only 1 year. In 2018 I decided that I would do my part to make a difference. I decided to do some projects, Legacy Projects in preparation for the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day in April of 2020. The focus of these projects was to be on Plastic Pollution and invasive Species Removal. In early 2020 I had three English ivy Removal projects set up with local schools,

Everything fell apart on March 13th, 2020, the Pandemic hit, and all the schools closed. At that point rather than getting depressed, I decided to do some solo projects. I got permission from Clackamas County Parks to tackle English Ivy. I removed Ivy from over a thousand trees with the help of my girlfriend’s grandson. He is 12 years old and a very a hard worker. I paid him some money for helping me and bought him breakfast and lunch each time. When he asked me why I was doing it, I told him ivy removal saves trees. Healthier trees capture more carbon and put out more oxygen through photosynthesis.

During the project I learned he had been saving the money I paid him to buy a PC. I decided then and there to help him achieve his goal. I have a friend who owns a chain of computer stores. I approached him about buying a PC and instead he donated one. Comprite Computers has always been very generous and supportive of my endeavors. Isaac worked very hard, and he is now the proud owner of a state-of-the-art gaming PC. It was awesome working with someone so young and teaching him how to help the environment. It also showed him the value of working hard to achieve a goal. I have worked very hard in 2020, but this is only the beginning. My intent is the show people what they can do in their own backyard, to help fight the effects of climate change and plastic pollution. My Thought is to form Community Climate Coalition’s and show both children and adults how they can help work towards the creation of a better more sustainable future.