Hollis Berendt was a senior in high school in Maryland when the first Earth Day took place across the country on April 22, 1970.
Environmentalists launched Earth Day to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
“The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was burning,” she said. “Pollution was just a mess. Our air is so much better today than it was.”
The river caught fire on an oil slick on June 22, 1969. The fire lasted 30 minutes and caused an estimated $50,000 in damages.
Fast-forward more than 50 years to Saturday morning at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley, 929 15th St., where Berendt spoke with various vendors outside of the church at its second Earth Day Fair. The fair featured children’s activities, worm composting, free Earth-conscious books courtesy of the Midnight Oil Bookstore, a bake and art sale and other booths.
“One of the missions of the Unitarian Universalist Church is to take care of our Earth,” she said. “We believe we’re a part of an interdependent web. Animals, plants, water and humans are all connected, and we need to take care of each other.”
Berendt said the Unitarian Universalist Church has hosted various Earth Day events over the years, but this fair, or “extravaganza,” as she called it, was inspired in part by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
The Citizens’ Climate Lobby is a nationwide group of volunteers who work with members of Congress in a nonpartisan manner on climate change action.
Sharon Kendall, a member of the Greeley chapter of the climate lobby, said members of the Greeley chapter speak with the Weld County commissioners and city council members about implementing climate sustainability actions in the community. Kendall said the fair helps spread the word about caring for the Earth.
People gather inside the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greeley on Saturday during the Earth Day event. Arts and crafts as well as a bake sale, were some the activities at the local church. (Jim Rydbom/Staff Photographer)Kendall, Berendt and Mike Weiland organized the fair.
People don’t have to make major changes to reduce waste and their carbon footprint, Berendt said. Carpooling, walking or riding a bike to work or to local destinations is a great start, she added.
According to Earth Day Fun Facts released in 2023 by the United States Census Bureau, the average one-way commute to work was 27 minutes in the U.S. Less than 1% of the U.S. population biked to work, while less than 2% walked.
“People get into their habits, how they live. It’s about getting out of what’s comfortable for you to maybe make some changes,” Kendall said.
Berendt said it takes fairs and events like the one at the church to start a tide of change. Even though it seems small, or a drop in the bucket, every last drop matters.
“We can do what we can do, but what each of us can do is a drop,” Berendt said. “All of those drops together are beneficial. The people that produce fossil fuels, they’re the ones that are creating great amounts of pollution. So in order to keep our air and water clean, they need to do the work. They need to do more than we do.”
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