Earth Day is Saturday. Here is what's going on locally

Edward Harris, Observer-Dispatch
·2 min read

Earth Day was first established in April 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in an effort to force the establishment of legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect the environment, according to the history of Earth Day on the government’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.

In the 1970s, there was no EPA, Clean Air Act or Clean Water Act, thereby causing Nelson to act.

According to the history report, 20 million Americans demonstrated across the country, which led to Congress authorizing the creation of the EPA in December 1970.

Earth Day
Earth Day

Now, over 50 years later, Earth Day is still celebrated, including here in the Mohawk Valley region.

Here is a list of some of the events going on for Earth Day, on Saturday, April 22.

Recycling event at Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority

The Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority will hold its annual Earth Day Recycling event on Saturday, April 22. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center, in conjunction with ConfiData, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Utica Zoo and the Oneida County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The recycling event will include:

  • Confidential paper shredding

  • Unused medication and pharmaceutical collection

  • Household hazardous waste cleanup

  • Recycling center tours

  • Rain barrel and compost bin order pickup

The Utica Zoomobile also will be in attendance, along with officials from the Oneida County Cornell Cooperative Extension.

CNY Veterans Outreach Center recycling drive

The CNY Veterans Outreach Center is hosting an Earth Day Recycling Drive to support its homeless veteran programs.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Notre Dame Elementary School located at the corner of Genesee Street and Barton Avenue in Utica.

The organization will accept all types of textiles regardless of their condition (all clothing, bedding, linens, footwear etc.) scrap metal, unwanted Christmas lights, returnable bottles and cans, even unwanted appliances.

The funds raised from recycling these items all stay local and help fund housing programs for homeless veterans and their families.

Items can always be dropped off year-round at the CNY Veterans Outreach Center’s main location 726 Washington St., Utica.

Oneida County hosts Intergenerational spring clean-up

Oneida County is hosting its 12th annual Oneida County Intergenerational Spring Clean-up Day on Saturday.

Starting at 9 a.m. in the parking lot of Proctor Park (off Welsh Buse Road), youth volunteers will be assigned to help senior citizens who either cannot physically handle or pay for work such as general yard clean-up, bringing light refuse to the curb and sweeping driveways, porches and sidewalks.

The youth volunteers are from county school districts, colleges and youth organizations.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Earth Day is Saturday. Here is what's going on in the Mohawk Valley