Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
By KIM BARTO - Bulletin Staff Writer
The week of April 13-19 is officially National Environmental Education Week in Virginia, thanks to the efforts of a local woman.
Gov. Tim Kaine signed a proclamation recognizing the week in response to a letter from Linda Drage of Martinsville, Drage said.
The purpose of the proclamation is to draw attention to the environment in preparation for Earth Day on April 22, she said. She requested the proclamation on behalf of the Friends of Philpott, a nonprofit covering Henry, Franklin and Patrick counties.
“We’re just really pushing for awareness,” Drage said. “We’re trying to get as many other organizations as possible involved to give people a better appreciation of all our natural resources.”
Friends of Philpott is one of several hundred organizations across the country encouraging environmental learning and stewardship this week, according to a news release from the group.
This week is a good time to take energy-saving measures at home, plant trees, and visit local nature centers, parks and lakes, according to the release.
And how is Drage observing National Environmental Education Week?
“My husband and I went out and planted trees in our yard,” she said. “We’re making a buffer by the creek.”
She also shared the proclamation with student teachers at Ferrum College on Wednesday morning and talked with them about educating young people on environmental issues. She pointed to an MTV poll from 2006 that reports teens consider the environment to be the most important problem they will face in their lives.
Getting the proclamation signed was not hard, Drage said. The governor’s Web site gives instructions for requesting a proclamation.
Individual citizens of Virginia may submit written requests to the state’s Office of Constituent Services 45 days or more before the proclamation is needed. It must involve a noteworthy state or local event that affects a broad group of people, according to the Web site.
The text of the proclamation can be viewed on the governor’s Web site at www.governor.virginia.gov/CitizenServices/ConstituentServices/
Proclamations/2008/environmentalEducation.cfm |
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