Earth Day: Celebrating our Planet Earth

April 22nd is Earth Day. There are numerous ways we can educate ourselves about what is happening in our environment and how we can do our part to contribute to the longevity and health of planet Earth. The 2023 Earth Day theme is Invest in Our Planet, which entails planting trees, reducing plastic consumption, and choosing sustainable fashion that aims towards ecologically and socially responsible clothing.

Due to many recent natural disasters, some of our forests have been destroyed.

Tree planting is one of many efforts to help rehabilitate our planet. For example, The Canopy Project helps to improve our environment and has planted millions of trees across the globe since 2010.

Under the leadership of Principal Kim Lewis, Benicia’s own Liberty High School students share in making our planet a better place by participating in the Forestry Challenge, a program that helps students understand the importance of environmental stewardship. The Liberty High School students participated in the 2022 Santa Cruz Forestry Challenge – Camp Butano Forest Health Project, which was spread over 44 acres. Students gained mathematical and scientific knowledge by collecting data and predicting future needs while analyzing the challenges faced by fire and the changing climate. The Forestry Challenge is an annual opportunity for students to understand the basic principles of forestry while connecting with academics and learning from professionals working in forestry.

Forests are some of our most important ecosystems and provide many benefits to both humans and the planet.

Unfortunately, over 11 thousand acres per year are disappearing quickly, significantly impacting over twenty-thousand species, the food chain, soil quality, and Earth’s temperature. The decline in species includes our bee population, which plays a significant role in our food supply and other vegetative pollination.

The students at Liberty High School also have the privilege of working with local gardeners every Wednesday at their very own greenhouse. Learning about the earth helps students understand the impact of nature and gardening with knowledge of the farm-to-table process.