Alabama Department of Environmental Management celebrates Earth Day

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Friday is Earth Day, a day to show our planet some appreciation and talk about ways to preserve it. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management celebrates Earth Day every day, especially on April 22.

April 22 is the 52nd anniversary of the first Earth Day. On Friday, ADEM will highlight activities that promote or bring attention to the need for everyone to be protectors of our planet. This year’s theme is “Invest In Our Planet.”

In recent months, ADEM staff traveled across the state to engage with students in the lead-up to Earth Day. They visited nearly 20 schools and other places, including a nature preserve, zoo, and children’s museum, to present hands-on demonstrations that teach young people about protecting watersheds, forms of pollution, and recycling.

“Education is power, as is often said, and by empowering students through knowledge, we hope to make them better stewards of the environment,” said ADEM Director Lance LeFleur.

ADEM has also created a series of videos that feature ADEM personnel explaining and demonstrating the critical functions of their work in protecting Alabama’s environment. The videos cover a variety of topics, including air monitoring, fish tissue sampling, water quality and recycling. Those videos are posted on ADEM’s YouTube channel.

On Friday night, in what is becoming a tradition, lights at the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) buildings in downtown Montgomery and Mobile will shine green and blue in celebration of Earth Day. Green and blue are Earth Day’s colors, and ADEM and the RSA are partnering for the third consecutive year to increase public awareness through the display of lights.

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