What day is Earth Day?
    Officially, it’s April 22, but Earth Day events don’t wait until then. With “green” construction and sustainable lifestyle practices ever more dominant in our collective thinking, society is coming around to the realization that it is every day.

It was sad to learn that the Odell recycling station was recently closed because of garbage dumping. On the other hand, the folks in Parkdale showed commitment to the environment with the disposal of more than 1,220 pounds of leftover chemicals at a free collection held April 3.

No one needs to wait for “Earth Day” to keep a cleaner household and take other steps to reduce our toxic impacts. The next free hazardous waste collection at Hood River Garbage will be April 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hood River Garbage, 2440 Guignard Dr.

For more information call 541-506-2636 or visit www.tricountyrecycle.com.

The Hood River Earth Day celebration will be April 17 — along with plenty of other activities in the county, including Blossom Weekend. See page A1 for details.

One Earth Day event will look at potential policy and infrastructure changes: the April 22 Columbia Gorge Transportation Summit at the White Salmon Pioneer Center. The event will give local agencies, businesses and citizens an opportunity to learn and discuss transportation options such as vanpooling/ridesharing, bicycle/pedestrian and public transit.

For additional information, visit www.mcedd.org/cgts.htm.

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The global Earth Day network (www.earthday.net) is calling for “a billion acts of green” to help celebrate Earth Day’s 40th year.

That’s a good number to shoot for, but locally we’ll start with 40, as in the 40 best ways to help the earth.

Send us your ideas for the best ways to live sustainably. Be creative and be specific: “Drive less” and “recycle more” are already taken.

What do you and your family or business do that works? Tell us how you learned it and why it motivates you.

Send to “Earth 40,” at hrnews@hoodrivernews.com by May 1. There is no word limit, though submissions are subject to editing.

We also welcome your recollections of the first Earth Day in 1970. What did you do that day? What did Earth Day mean to you then compared to now?

We’ll publish readers’ views, and the sustainability Top 40 in future editions.