Township of Little Falls Plants Trees in Celebration of World Environment Day
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Idaho Falls celebrates 33 years as a Tree City USA with Arbor Day tree planting
Students from local schools joined Mayor Rebecca Casper, City Council members and Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation staff to plant 17 trees. Arbor Day celebration also included the presentation of the Tree City USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. The Arbor Day program recognizes cities that meet four core standards: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry.
IDAHO FALLS – The City of Idaho Falls celebrated Arbor Day by planting trees with community members and receiving its 33rd consecutive Tree City USA Award.
Students from local schools joined Mayor Rebecca Casper, City Council members and Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation staff on May 9 to plant 17 trees throughout Heritage Park. The activity not only promoted environmental education but also contributed to the city’s ongoing efforts to expand and enhance green spaces.
During the event, former Mayor Linda Milam joined Mayor Casper to commemorate the installation of a new swing in Heritage Park honoring the past mayors of Idaho Falls. The swing serves as a tribute to the leadership that has helped shape the city and its parks over the years.
The Arbor Day celebration also included the presentation of the Tree City USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation, marking the 33rd consecutive year that the City of Idaho Falls has earned the award. The award recognizes communities that demonstrate a strong commitment to urban forest management.
“To be recognized for 33 years as a Tree City USA community is a testament to Idaho Falls’ dedication to environmental stewardship,” said Mayor Rebecca Casper. “We’re proud to involve our students in this tradition, helping them learn the value of trees and the importance of preserving our natural environment.”
The Tree City USA program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, recognizes cities that meet four core standards: maintaining a tree board or department, having a community tree ordinance, spending at least $2 per capita on urban forestry, and hosting an annual Arbor Day observance.
Although Arbor Day is traditionally observed in April, Idaho Falls celebrates in May to ensure better planting conditions for young trees due to the region’s climate.
For more information on the City of Idaho Falls’ urban forestry programs, including planting tips for your own property, click here.
Earth Day 2025: Why we celebrate the planet that keeps us grounded, how to get involved
For the 55th year, the world is using Earth Day to celebrate Mother Nature. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, when 20 million people attended inaugural events. The march led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. There are plenty of things people can do, big or small, if they’re feeling the holiday spirit and want to connect with Mother Nature, said Sarah Davies, the director of communications and media at EarthDay.org. The most important thing that you can do is wake up in the morning and do one thing that’s good for you, said Davies. The day has been celebrated for 55 years, but it isn’t federally recognized, as previously reported by USA TODAY. It falls on April 22 every year; this year, it falls on a Tuesday, according to the Library of Congress’s website, and it’s the first year it’s not on a Monday. It’s a day that acknowledges our planet, which provides for us, and ways we can protect and preserve its beauty.
“Earth Day really is a symbol of the environmental movement,” Sarah Davies, the director of communications and media at EarthDay.org, told USA TODAY. “You know, it started back in 1970 under President Nixon, which is always kind of amazing to think about.”
Earth Day has always been a day that acknowledges our planet, which provides for us, and ways we can protect and preserve its beauty.
That being said, here’s everything you should know about Earth Day 2025, and its 55th annual celebration.
When is Earth Day?
Earth Day falls on April 22 every year. This year, it falls on a Tuesday.
The day has been celebrated for 55 years, but it isn’t federally recognized, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
Why do we celebrate Earth Day?
The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970, when 20 million people attended inaugural events at schools, universities, and other public areas around the country, according to the Library of Congress’s website. The march happened after more disasters caused by climate change and pollution impacted the country.
The march was coordinated by Denis Hayes, who was a student at the time and is now a board member emeritus for EarthDay.org, according to Davies.
Around one in ten Americans marched that day in 1970 to demand cleaner air and water, said Davies. The march led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act.
“There’s never been another event as big as that anywhere in the world,” said Davies. “Actually, I think it still remains the biggest civic event of all time.”
People who marched on the first Earth Day were “from all kinds of backgrounds, all different walks of life, all ages,” said Davies. “Some people are in suits, some people are in jeans.”
How can we celebrate Earth Day?
There are plenty of things people can do, big or small, if they’re feeling the holiday spirit and want to connect with Mother Nature.
“The most important thing that you can do is wake up in the morning and do one thing that you’ve never done before that’s good for you. Good for the planet,” said Davies.
That one thing could be picking up a piece of trash on the street in front of your home or donating money to plant a tree, according to Davies.
Some other fun, Earth-centered activities are:
Volunteer at a beach or park clean-up
Cooking a meal with sustainable produce
Signing a petition related to helping the Earth
Go to a composting workshop
Plant some pollinator-friendly flowers either in your backyard, balcony or in a window planter
Swap from single-use plastic bottles to a reusable bottle
Limit how much single-use plastic you use in a day
Listen to a podcast about the Earth
Read books, like “Braiding Sweet Grass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, about the environment
“Take your first step and do one thing, because once you do one thing, it actually makes you feel really great,” said Davies.
People can also choose to celebrate the day by going meatless for a day!
Meatless Monday. is a movement that was started in 2003 by Sid Lerner, with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. It aimed to reduce the amount of meat in one’s diet to improve a person’s health and the health of the planet.
According to a 2020 study published by ScienceDirect, a more plant-based diet would not only improve environmental health but also human health.
While Earth Day doesn’t fall on a Monday this year, as it did in 2024, the sentiment can still carry over.
Have a positive outlook on Earth Day 2025
Sharing positive news about the climate crisis can encourage others to tackle the issue and keep people optimistic about the future, Leila Yassine, the Rainforest Alliance’s global advocacy engagement manager, previously told USA TODAY.
No matter how one chooses to celebrate Earth Day or fight against climate change, Yassine said it is essential to remain positive about the future.
“Share ideas and this will really cultivate collective optimism,” she said. “It’s like you have little seeds and then you’re feeding it. You’re feeding it until it gives you this beautiful tree of hope.”
This story was updated with new information and to correct spelling errors.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn,X, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
Jacksboro residents celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day falls on April 22, and the Twin Lake Community Park in Jacksboro, Texas celebrated with an event to remind community members to live in environmentally sound ways. Council Member Joel Hood has been participating in this event since 2022, partnering with McDonald’s to help the environmental community. Hood said that he has planted six to seven trees in the park in the last three years. Will Mangum, Recreational Director, said that the five trees planted in the event were donated by the Bridgeport McDonald’s. They were donated three years ago, following a tornado that had impacted the community. He believes that this symbolizes giving back to the Earth and helps native trees grow back to help beautify the areas.
Jacksboro Council Member Joel Hood recognized the community involvement in the project.
“We’re seeing a lot of people interested in helping the community recover over the last few years, since we had that tornado in 2022, we’ve been involved with a lot of folks,” he said.
Hood acknowledged that McDonald’s involvement empowered the community.
“And we appreciate Joel with McDonald’s to bring us an opportunity to help. This is really two fold in a way; it gives us some green space type thing with our recovery effort but it also helps us with a green space for our parks out here with the baseball fields, which is one of the main draws of this community,” Hood said.
Hood has been participating in this event since 2022, partnering with McDonald’s to help the environmental community of Jacksboro by planting trees. Hood feels that by each tree he plants, he brings another breath of fresh air to Jacksboro residents.
“It’s of great importance because we are trying to showcase what our community not only has in general but what we can do to attract economic development, and things like that to be able to bring people to town,” Hood said.
Hood said that he has planted six to seven trees in the park in the last three years.
“It’s one thing to get a little a corn of a tree to grow but to have established trees like these to come out there, that are well along it increases the chance that they’re going to survive, and it increases the amount of time before they’re able to become a regular part of the environment,” Hood said.
Will Mangum, Recreational Director for the City of Jacksboro, said that the five trees planted in the event were donated by the Bridgeport McDonald’s. They were donated three years ago, following a tornado that had impacted the community.
“They wanted to help give back to the community and start putting something that was going to last for a long time, so they brought out some Shumard Oak,” Mangum said.
Mangum believes that this symbolizes giving back to the Earth and helps native trees grow back to help beautify the areas. Mangum said that this all started when he was contacted by Hood.
“We were contacted by Joel about two to three years from now and he just had the idea of, ‘hey we’ll like to plant a tree is there some place we can do that,’ so down on one of our parks called Sewell Park and there are swimming pools that’s where we planted our first tree,” said Mangum.
And in the Texas climate, the Shumard Oak is the perfect pick.
Mangum said they are pretty handy and hardy, there are already some Shumard Oaks in the community, in the neighborhood showing that the oaks grow healthily in that environment.
Sewell Park has also seen trees planted on the grounds, bringing the community of Jacksboro closer to the earth.
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Map and List of Cities Hosting Events for Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22
Earth Day was created to galvanize public awareness and political action around environmental issues. The movement has since evolved into the world’s largest secular observance. EarthDay.org estimates that over 1 billion people engage in Earth Day activities each year. This year’s Earth Day theme is “Planet vs. Plastics,” calling for “a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040” The National Park Service is also promoting outdoor stewardship throughout the week of Earth Day and through National Volunteer Week. “You can make a difference by reducing, reusing, and recycling; conserving water and energy,” the EPA says on its official Earth Day page. The event connects local and global environmental goals, with participants engaging in activities from community cleanups and tree planting to legislative advocacy and sustainable living initiatives. It’s a chance for individuals and institutions alike to demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility.
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Earth Day will be celebrated around the world on Tuesday, April 22, marking more than half a century since its inception as a grassroots environmental movement in the United States. The date has grown from a national campaign into a global day of action, with participants in more than 190 countries expected to take part this year.
First observed in 1970, Earth Day was created to galvanize public awareness and political action around environmental issues. The movement has since evolved into the world’s largest secular observance, with EarthDay.org estimating that over 1 billion people engage in Earth Day activities each year.
Though environmental challenges have shifted over the decades—from oil spills and air pollution to climate change and plastic waste—the spirit of Earth Day remains rooted in civic engagement and education.
Why It Matters
The origins of Earth Day lie in the environmental crises of the late 1960s, including the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill and growing concerns about smog and polluted rivers. Democratic U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, known as the father of Earth Day, championed the idea of a nationwide teach-in to focus political attention on the environment.
Since it began, Earth Day has centered on civic engagement. In 1970, approximately 20 million people—representing 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time—gathered to demand stronger environmental safeguards, marking the inaugural Earth Day, according to EarthDay.org.
Those early demonstrations helped spur creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and passage of key environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act.
Today, the event connects local and global environmental goals, with participants engaging in activities from community cleanups and tree planting to legislative advocacy and sustainable living initiatives.
What To Know
This year’s Earth Day theme, set by EarthDay.org, is “Planet vs. Plastics,” calling for “a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.” The organization states that it aims to “build a plastic-free planet for generations to come.”
The EPA encourages Americans to mark the occasion through educational events and conservation efforts. “You can make a difference by reducing, reusing, and recycling; conserving water and energy; and learning more about your local environment,” the agency says on its official Earth Day page.
The National Park Service is also promoting outdoor stewardship. “Many parks are hosting volunteer events and other activities throughout the week of Earth Day,” its website says. It highlights opportunities such as removing invasive species, planting native vegetation and participating in community science projects. “Lend a hand and be a steward of your public lands by volunteering for Earth Day or throughout National Volunteer Week,” the agency encourages.
Map shows how many events are planned for Earth Day on April 22. Map shows how many events are planned for Earth Day on April 22. EarthDay.org
List of Cities Hosting Events for Earth Day 2025
Cities all over the globe are hosting events to celebrate Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22. Events are registered on EarthDay.org and the full list can be found on the organization’s website.
Here’s a list of some events happening in each state on or around April 22:
What’s Next
In the U.S., the EPA will continue promoting its “Environmental Education” resources, while the National Park Service’s Earth Day Volunteer Week runs through April 27. Organizers are encouraging Americans to participate by visiting national parks, joining local service projects or simply making sustainable choices at home.
Whether through community involvement or personal habits, organizers emphasize that Earth Day remains a chance for individuals and institutions alike to demonstrate a commitment to environmental responsibility—and to inspire others to do the same.
What is Earth Day?
A brief history of Earth Day. It all started with the publication of Rachel Carson’s environmental science classic Silent Spring in 1962. Carson argued that pesticides should more accurately be called ‘biocides’ given that they do not exclusively target the pests they are intended to exterminate but instead have many negative downstream effects. In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin decided it was time for larger action. Inspired by the impact of recent anti-war protests, the senator orchestrated a campaign to help organise a widespread grassroots event for environmental protection. By the 1990s, millions of people around the world joined in on Earth Day celebrations, turning it into the global event we recognise today.
Earth Day has a somewhat unexpected origin. It all started with the publication of Rachel Carson’s environmental science classic Silent Spring in 1962. In her non-fiction masterpiece, Carson—a biologist and science writer—explored the harmful effects that pesticides were having on the environment, principally the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT).
Carson argued that pesticides should more accurately be called ‘biocides’ given that they do not exclusively target the pests they are intended to exterminate but instead have many negative downstream effects. Coupled with the fact that DDT is a known carcinogen—an agent capable of causing cancer—she argued for greater moderation and restrictions placed on its usage.
Silent Spring leveraged Carson’s extensive research and the growing body of scientific literature on the subject and advocated for a more controlled use—rather than an outright ban—of DDT. Despite this, Carson was lambasted by the chemical industry and labelled as an extremist whose ideas would do more harm than good.
However, an independent investigation ordered by US President John F. Kennedy backed up Carson’s claims and marked one of the first significant milestones towards a more environmentally conscious America.
Up to this point, the US had been using fossil fuels at an unprecedented level. Leaded gasoline was consumed at an alarming rate to power the ever-growing number of cars on American roads and its booming industry. Pollution was not yet seen as a bad thing—quite the opposite. A sky filled with black clouds and ever-present smog was viewed by many as a sign of a thriving and forward-looking economy.
However, following the publication of Silent Spring and an array of environmental disasters like the Santa Barbara oil spill and Cuyahoga River fire, Americans began to question the effects of pollution. For the first time, it was becoming clear that humans were affecting the environment—a fact that had gone unrecognised before then and is unfortunately still debated by some today.
In 1969, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin decided it was time for larger action. Inspired by the impact of recent anti-war protests, the senator orchestrated a campaign to help organise a widespread grassroots event for environmental protection, focusing on leveraging the student population that had been so effective in the anti-war movement.
On 22 April 1970, approximately two million people joined the first Earth Day and participated in rallies across the country. The resulting impact was incredible. The public’s perspective changed immensely and support for environmental protection skyrocketed to an all-time high.
Most importantly, Earth Day created a domino effect. In 1970, the US created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and, over the following years, passed landmark legislation like the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). By the 1990s, millions of people around the world joined in on Earth Day celebrations, turning it into the global event we recognise today.