Do We Celebrate Arbor Day, Earth Day or Both?

Arbor Day and Earth Day are two distinct holidays, each celebrated worldwide but in many different ways. Arbor Day was founded as a day for encouraging the planting of trees, while Earth Day began as a teach-in on environmental issues. Earth Day is now recognized as a day that is generally intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural environment.

Arbor Day as a holiday

Arbor Day is observed on different days around the world that coincide with what are the most favorable times seasonally for planting trees. Only in Nebraska is Arbor Day an actual state holiday - it is always celebrated on the last Friday of April in that state.

Because Arbor Day is a state holiday in Nebraska, schools and state offices, including many historic sites, are closed on the last Friday of April. Public transit systems offer a reduced service or may shut down completely. Other businesses and stores may be open or closed according to local custom.

Elsewhere Arbor Day is not a public holiday and public life, with regard to transport schedules and opening hours for schools and businesses, is not affected. Former President Richard Nixon did proclaim the last Friday in April as National Arbor Day during his presidency in 1970, but that proclamation does not affect public schedules in any way.

All states in the U.S. now have an official Arbor Day based on the most favorable conditions for planting trees in that state. According to dateandtime.com, many observations of this day are in April, but the following states hold them at different times of the year: Florida and Louisiana (January); Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi (February); Arkansas, Arizona, California, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee (March); Alaska, Maine, North Dakota and Vermont (May); Hawaii (November); and South Carolina (December).

Similar events to encourage the planting or care of trees are arranged in many countries around the world, again based on the optimal season for planting or caring for native trees.

The founding of Arbor Day

Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton, who had the simple idea of setting aside a special day for tree planting. Arbor Day continues to be celebrated annually in many creative ways but with its original idea intact, that being one of fostering the planting of trees across the USA.

Julius Sterling Morton (April 22, 1832 - April 27, 1902) was a Nebraska editor who served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. The Morton home in Nebraska City is now a state park, the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum.

According to Wikipedia, trees were a central interest of J. Sterling Morton. He imported trees from all over the world in order to test their suitability to create windbreaks and add interest to the landscape.

Morton's mansion in Nebraska City is surrounded by 270 varieties of trees and shrubs, including gardens, apple orchards, and acres of oaks, maples, chestnuts, and pines, including at least 10 state-champion trees.

Specimen trees are typically labeled with engraved bronze plates. Over the years, many of Arbor Lodge's apple orchards were demolished, but in the 1990s they began to be restored.

Ways to celebrate Arbor Day

As might be expected, an excellent resource for the celebration of Arbor Day is the Arbor Day Foundation website, where there is a summary of both group and individual celebration ideas for Arbor Day.

For the most complete resource that has been prepared by the Arbor Day Foundation, you may download their Celebrate Arbor Day Guidebook.

As stated on their website: "Our Celebrate Arbor Day Guidebook shows you a smorgasbord of possibilities. Pick and choose what makes sense for you. This PDF is available for free download for the first time ever (12.7 MBs)."

To access the free 24-page booklet, click here, and then click on "download the guidebook."

Earth Day

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, is not a public holiday, so public life in regard to transport schedules and opening hours for schools and businesses is not affected.

According to Wikipedia, Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in and was first held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network, and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year. April 22 corresponds to spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.

As stated on timeanddate.com, the April 22 Earth Day is usually celebrated with outdoor performances where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth. People also plant trees, pick up roadside trash, conduct various programs for recycling and conservation, and use recyclable containers for snacks and lunches.

Earth Day has become somewhat controversial in recent times, mainly because people are sometimes encouraged to sign petitions to governments that call for stronger or immediate action to stop global warming and to reverse environmental destruction. Television stations frequently air programs dealing with environmental issues.

So whether or not you choose to celebrate Arbor Day, Earth Day, or both, the typical time to do so is in late April. How you choose to celebrate is a matter of individual interpretation, but planting a tree would be a good way to celebrate either occasion.

See also: Volunteer Tree Planting All Across the USA

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbor_Lodge_State_Historical_Park_and_Arboretum
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/arbor-day-nebraska
http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/world/earth-day