Thousands of national service volunteers are taking part in the global celebration of Earth Day by cleaning rivers, monitoring groundwater, restoring hiking trails and teaching children about the environment.
Environmental protection is one of the four main focus areas of national service.
Thousands of AmeriCorps members and student and senior volunteers serve on environmental projects year-round. Earth Day is a chance to highlight their efforts and recruit community volunteers for intensive projects. Many national service programs engage young people in hands-on environmental work that encourages an ethic of stewardship. I salute these citizens for getting things done to restore the environment for present and future generations. In Minneapolis, the entire student body of Olson Middle School will celebrate Earth Day.