An international team of mountain climbers from the United States, China and the Soviet Union climbed to the top of Mount Everest and picked up two tons of trash left by earlier expeditions. In Japan, 35,000 environmentalists gathered on Dream Island in Tokyo Bay to set up a recycling station on this man-made island built of garbage. All this and more in celebration of Earth Day. What began in 1969 as a proposal by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson for an "Environmental Teach-In" at college campuses around the United States has evolved into a worldwide environmental action campaign. In 1970, April 22 was designated as Earth Day. Today, the focus remains on public concern about pollution, the population, pesticides, car emissions, oil spills and nuclear power and has grown to include efforts to promote organic farming, recycling, country-wide cleanups and overall environmental awareness. France's first Earth Day event was in 1990, when participants formed a 500-mile human chain along the Loire to honor one of Europe's last clean rivers. The Paris-based Le Jour de La Terre organization has been planning Earth Day activities since 1991. Most events have rallied against air pollution. Last year, they sponsored an Earth Day concert at the Flèche d'Or café and a group hike, bike & blade for the environment. In a country where many look to the government to come up with solutions to environmental problems, Le Jour de La Terre is harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of a new generation of concerned environmentalists. "We're working to increase individual involvement and participation in community efforts to help the planet," said Isabelle Laure, a public relations representative for Le Jour de La Terre. "Our motto is 1+1=10,000 because if one person makes an effort and then another person and then another, soon everyone will be making a difference." Realizing that a traditional get-your-hands-dirty urban cleanup wouldn't work as well in Paris as it does in other cities, Le Jour de La Terre organizes Earth Day events that are more festival-oriented but with an environmental perspective.
Since April 22 falls
on a Thursday this year, Paris' official Earth Day celebration
is on Saturday, April 17 starting at 1:30pm in the plaza around
La Fontaine des Innocents near Châtelet. The spirit
of the celebration is an outdoor arts festival, although Le
Jour de La Terre and other environmental organizations
will provide information on the importance of purchasing organic
products, recycling, conserving energy, reducing air pollution
and other "green" issues. Inspired by their concern
for cleaning up the planet, area artists, dancers, actors,
comedians and musicians present their pièces de
résistance at this day-long community awareness
festival. An exhibition of recycled-art objects, a circus
act, fanfare and percussion concerts, an organic farmer's
market and a "vege-parade" are some of the highlights
of this year's event. Kids can learn about the importance
of protecting the planet at an environmental atelier and
participate in a jam-session with musical instruments made
out of recycled materials.
The festival is an opportunity to become active in the Paris Earth Day movement and make contacts with community activists and organizations. "We hope our Earth Day celebration gets people talking about the planet..." said Laure. "Once people start paying attention to the environment, then we'll start to see changes in their actions." For more information on Earth Day or to volunteer, contact Le Jour de La Terre, 3, rue du Buisson St-Louis, 10e, M° Belleville, tel: 01.42.49.05.93. Earth Day & Environmental Contacts in Paris Le Jour de La Terre, 3, rue du Buisson St-Louis, 10e, tel: 01.42.49.05.93. Ministre de l'Environment, tel: 01.42.19.20.21. Direction Regionale de l'Environment, tel: 01.41.24.18.00. The Direction propreté environment, 53, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1er. Allopropreté, tel: 08.01.17.50.00. Call to request free recycling containers for glass and paper. Les Verts-Paris, 11, rue Gros, 16e, tel: 01.43.55.44.05.
SPAS Organization,
86, rue de Lille, 7e, tel: 01.45.56.09.09, fax: 01.44.18.99.00,
e-mail: SPAS@wanadoo.fr,
or http:perso.wanadoo.fr/spas/
The organization SPAS organizes four salons in Paris every year which promote environmentally-friendly alternatives in medicine, work, health and nutrition: "Médecine Douce & Thalasso" in February, "Vivre et Travailler autrement" in March, "Santé Autrement" in September and "Marjolaine" in November.
Earth Day Contacts in the USA Earth Day 2000, tel: 1-206-405-1773 Earth Day Network, tel: 1-619-272-7370 Earth Day Contacts in Cyberspace:
www.earthday.org
www.earthday.net
www.earthdayspirit.org
www.sdearthtimes.com
www.les-verts.org
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