WOODSTOCK, NEW YORK, March 8, 2004 --/World-Wire/-- This April 22nd marks the 32nd annual Earth Day, a national American and now global expression of public will bringing together environmental activists and the community at large, to foster respect for the planet and help create a sustainable society. Tom Kay, environmental pioneer and co-founder of one of the oldest and largest environmental portals on the Internet, the EcoMall, (www.ecomall.com), urges parents and educators to celebrate and appreciate the environment at a grassroots level with activites ranging from purchasing organic food staples to planning a community Earth Day event with the help of local schools.

"Earth Day is a great opportunity for parents to reinforce positive, meaningful events with their children," said Kay, a father of two children. "This one-day observance can evolve into a year-round lifestyle choice for conscientious families wishing to do good for themselves while taking care of their community and environment. Most importantly, parents and educators can use Earth Day as a means of encouraging earth-friendly habits and deeds in their everyday lives."

Kay suggests that parents and educators consider the following environmentally conscious activities to celebrate Earth Day:

• Appreciate the Earth: Wake early, take a morning walk with your children and watch the sunrise. Breathe in the morning air and focus on the natural world around you. Reflect on the things that you love about the earth. Write in your journal, make up a story, draw a picture, write a poem. Think about how you as a family can preserve and keep the earth in good health.
  
  
• Make an Earth-Day Pledge: Sit down with your family and come up with earth-friendly resolutions you can all keep. Examples could be to start recycling and purchasing recycled products, make the change to non-toxic cleaners and pesticides, purchase organic produce, bike to school or work, or become vegetarians.
  
  
• Arrange a Special Earth Day Action in Your Own Community: Plant a tree or organize an Earth Day clean up - supply bags and pick a park, street, or other public area and clean it up. Host a recycling event or organize a drop off site for toxic materials such as batteries and paint cans. Set up a table in a public place and let people know how you feel about taking care of the earth. Set up a compost demonstration alongside a plant sale.
  
  
• Beautify Your Schools: Participants can prepare garden beds and children can plant flowers at a later date. Have volunteers bring garden tools. Ask for landscaper and Master Gardener volunteers to help oversee this project. Plant a tree at the school.
  
  
• Green Your Schools: Talk to school administrators about changing over to non-toxic cleaners, serving organic milk, food and juice, and using recycled, non-toxic school supplies. Have your school conduct an energyaudit. Ask them to incorporate environmental themes and activities into the school's curriculum.
  
  
• Organize an Eco-field Trip: Plan a trail walk through a park, a visit to a nature center, organic farm, science museum, your local recycling plant, landfill, or water reservoir.
  
  
• Plan an Earth Day Event: Write and perform an Earth Day play, organize an Earth Day Music Concert or Earth Day Art Show. Have an Eco-Fashion show, demonstrating clothes made from hemp and organic cotton. Organize an organic picnic - invite friends for lunch in the park on the grass with only organic foods. Get the local schools involved in their own special events with the kids. Your school can make a sculpture of recycled materials, or individual classes or individual children can create their own recycled art projects. Create an Earth Day mural.
  
  
• Support Pro-Earth Groups: Plan an Earth Day walk-a-thon or clean-up-a-thon. Take financial pledges from people to sponsor you for each mile you walk or each garbage bag you fill. Donate the money to a reputable environmental agency or use the money for local beautification. Adopt a park, playground, or street. Adopt an endangered animal from an environmental organization.
  
  
• Shop Green: Use your purchasing power to support environmentally friendly companies and products by doing your shopping on-line, which cuts out pollution from car travel and the waste of paper catalogs. To browse hundreds of earth-friendly companies offering everything from non-toxic household cleaners, organic and hemp clothing, natural body care, energy efficient products to recycled paper and more, check out the EcoMall on the Web at www.ecomall.com.
  
  
• Reduce Waste: Clean out your closets and bring things that you no longer need to a thrift shop. Don't throw things away! Instead, have a swap meet and trade clothes, toys, and books with your friends. Make a list of disposable items that you can do without. Take a grocery store tour and learn how to purchase products that have little or no packaging, organic produce, and products made of recycled materials.
  
  
• Take Action! Write a letter with your children to the President or your local, state or federal government representatives asking them to focus on a particular environmental issue. Write to a corporation and congratulate them on their "good" environmental practices or ask them to clean up their act.

Since its launch on November 15, 1994, the EcoMall (www.ecomall.com) has received over 70 awards and accolades for its on-line service which provides green education, a comprehensive selection of environmental products and services, exclusive interviews with celebrities and more. The EcoMall offers a voice to America's sustainable business industry, featuring over 300 retailers and wholesalers in over 60 shopping categories, links to government education, environmental news, activism alerts, the popular Green Living Magazine and business-to-business opportunities. 2004 marks the EcoMall.com's 10 year anniversary on the Internet.