Seattle is a big part of the history of what is now a global phenomenon – Earth Day.

It was in that city in 1969 that U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin first announced a coordinated, nationwide protest designed to push the environment into the public focus.

Although in this day and age we take it for granted that everyone knows about global warming, and the need to conserve water, and the dangers of pollutants and toxins in our soil and water, that was not always the case.

And so Nelson’s plan to create an annual Earth Day was, at the time, a groundbreaking, and politically risky, idea.

Forty years later, and Earth Day is living up to his vision.

Every year cities, towns, schools, volunteer and sporting groups, in fact communities of all kinds, use Earth Day, April 22, as the motivation to take an interest in their local environment and undertake projects to help improve it.

Issaquah and Sammamish were two of the many cities who put together Earth Day events on Saturday.

In Issaquah, the Farmer’s Market included educational displays and resources for children and gardeners.

In Sammamish, up to 100 people got their hands dirty at two Earth Day projects.

At Pine Lake Park, boy and girl scout troops and people of all ages gave the park a thorough cleaning, as well as planting native species, removing ivy, and picking up fallen branches.

Earlier in the day, another group had undertaken a difficult invasive plant removal effort along the Ilahee Trail.

Local businesses, including The Reporter, helped out too, providing volunteers with food and educational resources.

There was even a massage table set up at the Pine Lake event, a kind thank you to the volunteers who continue to make Earth Day a vital moment every year in the life of our local environment.