The days are longer, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and people are donning jackets instead of winter coats, which means spring has officially sprung, offering more time to enjoy the outdoors. In the DMV region, that means getting to enjoy spaces like Anacostia and Rock Creek Parks, walking along the Tidal Basin to see the cherry blossoms, flying kites, and outdoor dining.
However, while it’s great to take in Mother’s Nature’s beauty, it’s also important to appreciate her benefits and all she offers to keep us healthy, safe and able to advance technology.
Natural resources are powerful.
“Every step of the progress of mankind is marked by the discovery and use of natural resources previously unused,” President Theodore Roosevelt said in his May 1908 speech “Conservation is a National Duty.” “Without such progressive knowledge and utilization of natural resources, population could not grow, nor industries multiply, nor the hidden wealth of the earth be developed for the benefit of mankind.”
Trees provide protection from the sun and reduce atmospheric carbon. Water is essential to life, agriculture, household needs, recreational activities and the entire ecosystem. Further, the sun not only shines bright and is the main ingredient to kick seasonal depression, but solar power can produce electricity, heat and other forms of energy.
“I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use our natural resources, but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob by wasteful use, the generations that come after us,” Roosevelt said in another speech in 1910.
The Washington Informer understands the beauty, breadth and power of “Our Earth,” the name of the publication’s environmental section. Every week we feature stories about environmental injustice and efforts to combat it, ecological achievements and advancements, and those working toward clean water, air and land, fighting against the effects of climate change and uplifting renewable resources.
We call the environmental section “Our Earth” because it, like Roosevelt 115 years ago, emphasizes the collective responsibility to care for, protect and sustain the planet on which we live and breathe.
Inspired by the global 2025 Earth Month theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” this April, The Informer is examining “What We Can Do to Improve ‘Our Earth.’”
This special edition features stories about national and local challenges such as the current Trump administration’s work to dismantle federal programming and funding to support environmental programming, urban heat islands, and danger that comes from negligent dog owners not cleaning up after their pets. In addition, we highlight some of the environmentalists and organizations who are working to fight against environmental injustice and create space for all people to do their parts in protecting the planet. Further, we have a list of environmental events and efforts to tap into this Earth Month and beyond.
Use this special edition as a guide to understanding various environmental issues, and a resource for finding ways to contribute to sustaining a healthy, liveable and beautiful planet.
While April is Earth Month, it’s important to care about the planet every single day of the year. It’s crucial to show gratitude to the same place that provides so many resources for us, and as a reminder, we all have the power to improve “Our Earth.”
Finally, as the weather warms, have fun taking in the beauty and power of Mother Nature, and in doing so, remember the wise words of celebrated civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who highlighted her power while accepting his Nobel Peace Prize in December 1964.
“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider,” King said, “every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”