Klein launches poster competition for Earth Day

Klein launches poster competition for Earth Day
Photo courtesy of Senator Klein’s office

An upcoming event isgenerating a competition among Bronx youngsters.

On Tuesday, February 17, Senator Jeff Klein announced the launch of the New York State Senate’s 5th annual Earth Day Poster Contest to celebrate and honor Earth Day, encouraging young students to get involved.

The competition encourages Bronx and Westchester students, kindergarten through sixth grade, to take part in the festivities on Earth Day by working on posters and honoring a day that has been celebrated annually, on April 22, since 1970 in the United States.

The theme of this year’s Earth Day celebration is ‘reduce, reuse, recycle’ – three actions that, according to Klein, will keep this planet environmentally healthy and a much greener place.

“By adopting simple, everyday green habits, we can work to preserve our environment and keep it clean, healthy and safe for future generations,” said Klein. “The Earth Day Poster Contest is a fun way to raise awareness and teach our children about the importance of recycling and other environmentally-friendly actions we can take to protect our planet.”

Since 1970, over 20 million Americans have participated in the celebration of Earth Day, helping to improve the earth’s air and water quality.

The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act have also contributed to the effort. In 1990, Earth Day became an international focus.

For elementary school students, the world is theirs in this competition – as they have an opportunity to show their creativity and awareness regarding Earth Day and its importance.

“These kinds of creative endeavors encourage young people to express for themselves why the natural resources in the Bronx, such as the Bronx River and our 7,000 acres of parkland, are important and why we should take care of them,” said Maggie Scott Greenfield, director of Programs and Development at the Bronx River Alliance.

“We’ve made so much progress in cleaning up the river as a resource for Bronx communities because of thousands of children, parents and community leaders working together.”

“Earth Day is an important day to celebrate this progress,” Greenfield added.

The winning posters from this year’s contest will be displayed on Klein’s official website and social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Participants will also receive a certificate that acknowledges their participation in the competition.

Students who wish to participate in this event must submit their entry online at www.klein.nysenate.gov by Monday, April 6.

Reach Reporter Steven Goodstein at (718) 742–3384. E-mail him at sgoodstein@cnglocal.com.