Earth Day in the Lancaster District
Each April 22nd over 1 billion people across the planet come together for Earth Day, to highlight initiatives aimed at environmental protection and to encourage people to learn and understand more about why such things are needed.
Lancaster has a long history of environmental awareness. It might not be obvious to long term residents, but as a lifelong Prestonian I can tell you that coming to Lancaster to work on my first day almost 8 years ago, Lancaster’s green credentials were revelatory. Cycle paths, pedestrianised areas right in the middle of the city, dozens of acres of land dedicated to community food growing, or wild plants, right there on the doorstep. It seemed a million miles away from what I felt to be the exhaust fume clogged streets of my home city.
Lancaster District just seems to ‘get’ the environment, and the issues that threaten it, and protecting it feels as though it is in the blood of its citizens. There are sustainable food initiatives, over a dozen ‘friends of’ groups across the district where dedicated volunteers take care of myriad green spaces, food growing projects where volunteers can eat what they grow. I sometimes think that everyone has a bike, and although traffic flow through the city is, shall we say, not the smoothest (as a non-driver, I rely on the comments of others to inform this view), there are so many options to get around. Cycling in Lancaster is easy, so is walking if you are able and so inclined.
For Lancaster, it seems, Earth Day is every day.
But there is always more to do. There can never be enough volunteers or initiatives. This Earth Day you might have felt inspired to get involved and not know quite where to start. If you have thought about it, well, you have already begun. Finding an outlet for that enthusiasm and interest is the nest step. Lancaster District CVS can help you, but it’s very likely that there is already something happening right where you live. If there isn’t, maybe you could start something.
You can find out more about Earth Day on the website www.earthday.org
