SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Lloyd Levine (D-Van Nuys) today encouraged residents in the 40th Assembly District to participate in local events celebrating Earth Day, the yearly event which began in 1970 as a way of inspiring awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.

The very first Earth Day, inspired by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, was held on April 22, 1970.  For years, Senator Nelson had seen a rising public concern about the state of America’s water, air and land. He felt that Earth Day would be an opportunity for the country to focus its attention on both the beauty of the planet and the environmental challenges it faced. And each year more and more people participate.

“Earth Day encourages personal and community participation in helping protect the environment through recycling, conserving energy and water, and using gas-efficient transportation,” Assemblymember Levine said. “Earth Day also focuses public attention on hazards to the environment, such as global warming, pollution, and the loss of forests, wetlands, and other wildlife habitats. I recognize the importance of the environment, and encourage residents to include in all of their daily activities those actions that promote the goals of Earth Day.”

On April 22, hundreds of millions of people around the world will be bound by a common appreciation of the environment. Observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the non-profit Earth Day Network, www.earthday.org, Earth Day is the largest secular holiday in the world.

To celebrate Earth Day 2007, Assemblymember Levine would like to encourage the residents of his district in the San Fernando Valley to take part in the events in and around the Los Angeles area being held in honor of Earth Day. For more information on these events, visit http://www.earthdayla.org/earthdayla/dlist.asp.

For information on Earth Month events that Heal the Bay is undertaking, please visit the following link to its Web site, http://www.healthebay.org/news/2007/03_13_earthmonth/.

And when Earth Day has passed, for those that would like to continue to make a difference in their community, Friends of the LA River has its cleanup event on May 12th. The following link is the location that is closest to the 40th Assembly district: http://www.folar.org/cleanup2007/locations/SepulvedaBasin.html

To view the Public Service Announcement that Assemblymember Levine taped for this year’s Earth Day, please visit his Web site at www.assembly.ca.gov/Levine.