Today is day three of our week of international Earth Day stories leading up to Earth Day 2012 on Sunday, April 22. Today’s stories are about Mexico and Malaysia. Don’t forget to check out yesterday’s stories about Iraq and Jamaica!
Mexico
Students participating in an Earth Day event at the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve near Querétaro, Mexico (Photo credit: Earth Day Network).
In the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve, near Querétaro, Mexico, Grupo Ecológico Sierra Gorda is mobilizing for Earth Day 2012 through a series of Earth Festivals in schools. The festivals—running from February until the end of April and involving thousands of students and parents—will feature a play entitled “Everyone Listen to the Call of the Earth.” The group will engage the students with environmental songs, as well as educational activities about forest-fire prevention, recycling, and the Reserve’s biodiversity.
The Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve is 1 million acres with 100,000 residents in 638 communities who own 97% of the mountainous area which is removed from modern society three and half hours from the cities of Queretaro and San Luis Potosí. Yet, for the last 25 years the schools and communities have been celebrating close to 40 Earth Festivals per year; celebrating Mother Nature and all her gifts despite the extreme poverty that character
izes the region. To us, every day is Earth Day. In 40 different strategic communities, hundreds of students, parents, teachers, local authorities, and local businesses all gather and present skits, poems, songs and dances; grandmothers prepare the traditional dishes otherwise forgotten; and that is how we celebrate our connection to the Earth and the kinship that demands we take action to protect her.
– Laura P. B. Pérez-Arce, Director of Sierra Gorda
Malaysia
Participants in a waterfall cleanup in Malaysia (Photo credit: Earth Day Network).
In Malaysia, Waterfall Survivors Malaysia is mobilizing for Earth Day by hosting a waterfall clean-up on April 22 as part of its “Save our Waterfalls” campaign. The campaign aims to expose local residents and tourists to Malaysia’s pristine waterfalls, while promoting civic awareness about the importance of preserving and cleaning up these natural areas.
On April 22nd, approximately 500 participants will travel to Templer’s Park in Selangor, Malaysia with the goal of removing all waste and litter from the magnificent waterfalls in the park. The event will also feature activities and discussions to educate the participants about the environmental threats facing Malaysia’s waterfalls. The event will mark the fourth straight year that Waterfall Survivors Malaysia has participated in Earth Day.
* These events are two of thousands being held around the world for Earth Day 2012. To find or start a local event and learn how you can get involved in Mobilize the Earth™, go to www.earthday.org/2012.