Emily Barbo

It’s Earth Day! What does it mean to you?

Every year on April 22 we celebrate Earth Day, which marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. CSU understands just how important it is to learn about and engage in sustainability activities so we are celebrating Earth Month from the end of March through April.

The Salazar Center staff took some time to reflect on the question, “What does Earth Day (or month!) mean to you?”

Jen Kovecses
Assistant Director of Programs

I have worked in what is often referred to as science-based restoration or conservation for over fifteen years. In that space, we rely on data, hypothesis-testing, statistics to drive decision making or implement projects on the ground. Our underlying assumption is that good science will lead to better outcomes. While this is true and necessary, it leaves out a big challenge: people outside of our bubble are often not moved to act or change behavior by data. Sometimes more ephemeral moments can inspire pivotal change. Part of the lore of the history of Earth Day is that it was in part inspired by one of the world’s now most famous photographs – Earthrise.  One photo, albeit a photograph captured through amazing technological wizardry, that raised our environmental consciousness, lit a collective match under our sense of urgency to protect the planet, and contributed to the foundation that Senator Gaylord Nelson leveraged when he founded the first Earth Day in 1970. One photo helped change the way people saw the world and themselves in it.  As I continue to work in this space, this aspect of Earth reminds me that it takes more than science to solve our current problems and we need to bring all sorts of perspectives and tools to the table to create lasting change.  

“To see the Earth as it truly is, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats is to see ourselves as riders on the Earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the eternal cold.”

From poet Archibald MacLeish, New York Times on Christmas Day 1968

Shoshana Dean  
Program and partnerships Specialist

Earth Day is always an energizing and special day to me, as it reminds me of the strong conservation community that is passionate about protecting our planet. I think it is important to remember that anyone can take actions to celebrate and conserve the Earth, regardless of whether you are working in an environmental career field. I often think of my nieces and nephews (all six of them!) and how important it is to see our world through their eyes and protect it for their futures. This year, I am celebrating by waking up in Colombia and exploring the vast tropical biodiversity in that country. What better way to celebrate our Earth than getting out and experiencing all it has to offer?! 


Adriana Ortega 
Operations and Research Coordinator

Earth day amplifies for me the unequivocal interconnectedness of everything around us. How most organisms -humans included- go about our days, changing ourselves and the world around us in the process, using energy collected from the sun by other beings, and how all the physical elements needed to carry on with such acts of awe come from the Earth itself and ultimately, the Universe. The preciousness of what happens every second on this planet is humbling, inspiring and very encouraging. 


Emily Barbo 
Senior Communications Manager

Anyone who has ever tried to create social change can tell you, it takes both the head and the heart to make a difference. That’s why I love that the first day of spring and Earth Day are so close to each other. For me, the first day of spring is an opportunity to enjoy the natural environment around me. Those first few days of spring sunshine gets my heart pumping; it’s like my own emergence from winter hibernation.  Then Earth Day offers the opportunity to put my talents and energy to work with the environmental conservation community in a way that feels meaningful and impactful (which usually requires getting my hands a little dirty, literally).  

I often say, it’s not enough to know what needs to change. It’s not enough to be passionate, either. That knowledge and energy needs to be put into action. That’s what Earth Day means to me. Action.  


Catie Boehmer
Assistant Director of Engagement and Operations

This year I’ll be on vacation in Las Vegas on Earth Day, so I won’t be engaging in quite the same way as I usually do. It turns that, contrary to what is probably a widely shared misconception about this desert destination, Vegas is actually one of the most water-efficient cities in the world. So while I won’t be participating in an official Earth Day event, I will definitely be looking at the Bellagio Fountains with a newfound understanding of how water is conserved and recycled across the city. 

Over the past few years, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about how to balance conservation and recreation—especially given the explosive demand for more opportunities to get outside that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. There are typically lots of different ways to observe Earth Day locally, and there’s this split between clean-ups or restoration-type activities like tree plantings, and activities like group hikes or bike rides. I was at a conference in 2022 that addressed how all recreation activities are “consumptive”—even if you aren’t necessarily hunting or fishing or cutting down your Christmas tree—because that activity is impacting the ecosystem you’re recreating in: hiking or mountain biking on a trail, for example, is going to affect how a nearby elk or fox or hawk moves through the area. Earth Day feels like a great time for us to pause and consider our own impacts in a more multi-faceted way—it’s about the perennial Earth Day (or week or month) calls-to-action like recycling, reducing our reliance on single-use plastics, and saving the rainforest, but it’s also about continually expanding our understanding of how we can do better for the planet. 


Now it’s your turn! What does Earth Day mean to you and how are you planning to celebrate (either with old traditions or maybe a new one!)?