Every Day Is Earth Day

One great thing about having a birthday on April 22nd is that CUMTD honors me by offering the community free bus rides all day long.

(rimshot)

But seriously, Happy Earth Day!

In related news: Friday, April 30th, is Arbor Day in Illinois.

Each state celebrates Arbor Day at slightly different times, as do countries worldwide, from Australia to Yemen.

The Arbor Day Foundation offers a variety of ideas on how to mark the occasion, including a resource called Celebrate Arbor Day Guidebook (pdf).

Locally, the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) based in Champaign is hosting a contest called Trees Bring Life to the Neighborhood.

There are five categories for everyone from kindergarten scribblers to professional adult photographers. Deadline: April 26th.

The ISA created a suggested reading list targeted to youngsters. You can find the titles below at, or through, our library ...

The Lorax / Dr. Seuss

The Giving Tree / Shel Silverstein

The Green Hour: A Daily Dose of Nature for Happier, Healthier, Smarter Kids / Todd Christopher

Lives of the Trees: An Uncommon History / Diana Wells

A Festival of Trees: An Adventure in Israel / Disney's Small World Library

We Planted a Tree / Diane Muldrow

This Tree Counts / Alison Formento

Poetrees / Douglas Florian

Wildwood: A Journey Through Trees / Roger Deakin

Our Tree Named Steve / Alan Zweibel

A Friend for All Seasons / Julie Hubery

Arbor Day / Kelly Bennett

Pearl Plants a Tree / Jane Breskin Zalben

Arbor Day Magic / James W. Baker

Photo courtesy of Per Ola Wiberg ~ Powi (CC BY 2.0).