A healthy world equals a healthy you

Sustainable and green environmental practices good for your health

Check out sustainable and environmental practices that are good for your health

Nutritious eating and physical activity are two important components for a healthy life but so is the environment we live in.

Earth Day will be celebrated around the globe on Monday, April 22. This year’s theme is “Protect Our Species.” The Earth Day website states several species are endangered because of human activities such as pollution.

The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970 when people protested the Industrial Revolution because of its negative causes such as smog. Awareness of how pollution impacts people’s health lead to many changes such as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water Act.

Even with this being the 49th anniversary of Earth Day, negative environmental impacts are still evident and still influence the health of people. Pollutants in the air can possibly cause cancer, birth defects and problems with the cardiovascular system according to the American Lung Association.

Local waterways are also at risk. The air and water can become polluted where there’s too much nitrogen and phosphorus. Too much of the nutrients lead to pollution in streams, rivers, and lakes according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Excess of these nutrients in water leads to fast algae growth.

“Significant increases in algae harm water quality, food, resources and habitats, and decrease the oxygen that fish and other aquatic life need to survive,” states the Environmental Protection Agency website.

The mission of Earth Day and a commitment to a greener planet will be celebrated at several regional events, some of which are listed below.

SRT Spreekend in Pottstown and Mont Clare, Friday & Saturday

The Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area, in partnership with Sly Fox Brewery, will celebrate Earth Day and SRT Ale with a series of recreational events and trail cleanups along the Schuylkill River

Trail on Friday and Saturday. A portion of the proceeds from SRT Ale sales goes toward promoting, improving and maintaining the Schuylkill River Trail. Sly Fox is also hosting the SRT Spree Music Festival on Saturday with a 50K relay race and group bike ride. For more information, visit schuylkillriver.org/programs-projects/srt-spree/

SRT Art Mural Installation in Pottstown, April 27

Schuylkill River Greenways in partnership with Art Fusion 19464 will create an art mural along the Schuylkill River Trail at Riverfront Park in Pottstown on April 27. During two public meetings held in March, community members

came out and created varying shapes of nature representations to submit toward the final mural outline. Some of those submissions have been included in the mural template. The public is invited to help paint the mural. To learn more about the project and to sign up for the mural installation, visit schuylkillriver.org/events/trail-mural-public-installation/

Earthfest in Boyertown, April 27

The community is invited to celebrate Earthfest at Boyertown Community Park on April 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some of the event activities include making a pizza garden, making a pinecone birdfeeder, a mobile shredding truck to be used for sensitive documents and more. For more information and to view the flyer, visit bit.ly/BoyertownEarthfest.

Pottstown Climate March & Pottstown EcoFest, April 27

The Third Annual Pottstown Climate March begins noon on April 27 from

The Hill School. Community members will march in the borough to rally for a clean environment and support actions that address global warming. The march will go through Pottstown Riverfront Park then end at the EcoFest which will be in the Smith Family Plaza. The festival will have food, rescue animals, crafts and more. For more information on both the march and the EcoFest, visit www. pottstownecofest.com/

Chester County Open Space Summit, May 2

The summit will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Chester County open space preservation program. The program and the summit celebrates the economic benefit of having protected open spaces such a parks and farmland. The event will take place in Coatesville on May 2 at 5 p.m. For more information and to register for the free event, visit bit.ly/ChescoOpenSpaceSummit.

For more information about Earth Day and this year’s theme, visit www.earthday.org/earthday/

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Sarah Crothers, education coordinator for the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area, helps a child with a watershed game during a festival at Riverfront Park in Pottstown. During the game, children learned what items are good to see in the water such as fish as opposed to items we don’t want to see in the water such as trash.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Two women ride bicycles during a Sustainability Fair in Royersford. The bikes were able to be used for free as part of the bike share program available in Pottstown through the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP A family sits alongside the Schuylkill River during a Sustainability Fair in Royersford.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP Children use a model to learn about elements that impact the Schuylkill River Watershed such as pollution and runoff.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP A woman retrieves a sample of the Schuylkill River in Douglassville as part of a water quality activity during a special Pedal & Paddle excursion organized by the Schuylkill River Greenways National Heritage Area.

MICHILEA PATTERSON — FOR MEDIANEWS GROUP A Canada goose swims along the Schuylkill River. More animals and the variety of animals in local waterways can indicate good water quality. Pollutants and other toxins can lead to a low variety of species in waterways.