How Will You Celebrate Earth Day? Get Inspired by Irthlings

Protecting the people, communities, and environment surrounding the network that delivers our way of life—water, electricity, internet, oil, and gas—propels our innovative products and services. Safeguarding the millions of miles of critical network infrastructure beneath our feet motivates Irthlings (the Irth team) daily. In celebration of Earth Day, we look back at its creation and share some of the ways Irthlings choose to celebrate Earth on April 22 and throughout the year.

Heightened Public Awareness Leads to Change

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and brought together 20 million Americans—a diverse mix of people, including Republicans and Democrats, farmers and urbanites, business and labor leaders, rich and poor, various religious groups, and more. Their common concern about the deterioration of America’s environment sparked action.

At the end of the year, President Richard Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency, and Congress passed legislation, including the Occupational Safety and Health Act, National Environmental Education Act, and Clean Air Act. Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972 and the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

Today, more than 1 billion people observe Earth Day worldwide.

Irth’s Innovators Celebrate Planet Earth

When not developing solutions to improve the resiliency of essential services people rely on every day, you’ll find many Irthlings enjoying, appreciating, and helping nature and the planet.

What is your favorite thing to do in nature?

• “My favorite thing to do in nature is hiking and climbing.” — AJ Siddiqui
• “My favorite thing to do in nature is watching the stars! It’s very interesting to know that you’re looking into the past, due to the speed of light. The Big Dipper is about 80 light-years away!” — David Cavote

What is one thing you appreciate about nature/the environment?

• “I absolutely love to be in nature, in just about any setting just to be outdoors is what I enjoy. If I had to choose one, it would literally be just hiking through a forest, ideally in a mountainous area!” — Brian Jones
• “I find few things more joyful than experiencing the magnitude and beauty of nature with my family. It’s a great way to experience family time and introduce my kids to all the potential that lays before them.” — Mike Morrison
• “One thing that I appreciate about nature is that I can find wonder and peace in it.” — Amy Flores

What is one way you help the planet or help with sustainability?

• “I help the planet by using a filtered water pitcher, reusable cups and water bottles to limit my use of plastic bottles when drinking water.” — Ashley Roseboro
• “It’s all overwhelming to me. So, I’m trying to just listen and learn: to the friends passionate about recycling, to those supporting local restaurants that source more sustainable food options, to the ones donating items rather than tossing them, to the ones that have given up their cars to take advantage of alternative travel. And little by little, I’m letting them influence the way I do the things I’ve always done.” — Sean Bragg
• “While living in the northern half of the U.S. makes this a challenge year-round, I always source my food from local markets whenever possible. Doing business with local producers and farm markets helps to cut down on the amount of emissions and waste that is typically associated with transporting food across the continent. If you looked around, you might be surprised at the number of local producers who would be happy to deliver you fresh goods at a price competitive with your local supermarket. Not only are they sourced ‘closer to home,’ many times they are fresher and higher quality!”— Shane Mattix

Collaborating as Good Stewards of the Environment and the Damage Prevention Industry