April 28, 2017, marks the 145th celebration of Arbor Day. A holiday established in 1872 in Nebraska City to inspire people to plant trees, it became a legal holiday in 1885. To help people across the country get more easily involved in celebrating the country’s first environmental holiday, the Arbor Day Foundation has launched celebratearborday.com. People can visit the website to see what is going on in their local community as well as to plant trees and plan their own Arbor Day celebrations.
“Arbor Day is that one day every year reminding us to think about all that trees do for us—a day for reflection and for action,” said Dan Lambe, president, Arbor Day Foundation. “On April 28, communities across the country will come together to plant, nurture and celebrate trees.”
During the month of April, to help all Americans commemorate Arbor Day, Unilever and Ahold are planting a tree in the nation’s forests for any unique social post featuring #Arborday—at least 20,000 trees. Visitors to celebratearborday.com can watch the number of trees planted increase on the website’s “Treemometer.”
Lambe added, “We invite you to set differences aside, grab a shovel and make a positive impact in your community by planting a tree.”
—By Danny Cohn of the Arbor Day Foundation