Growing up in the Ohio Valley, I don’t recall much of an emphasis placed on the idea of Earth Day in my youth.

Perhaps it was because the observation was still in its own infancy, having been created in the 1970s and, at the time, those involved were focused primarily on governmental policies, such as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of various environmental laws, such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

Myself a child of 1979 and raised in the 1980s and 1990s, I don’t remember too many instances of school or community activities pointed at the idea of Earth Day. There may have been the occasional art project or something, but few, if any, major celebrations in my memory.

Then again, living in the industrialized valley of our past, perhaps that also played a role in a seeming lack of celebration. After all, the steel industry played its own role in polluting the air and waters, and, at that point, you didn’t speak ill of the industry which provided so much for our community.

Steel provided jobs. Planting a tree didn’t. There couldn’t be any in-between back then.

Somewhere along the lines, though, the mindset did change, and people began to understand the importance of finding ways to get a balance.

Art projects at schools grew into essay contests, which turned to tree plantings, which became recycling drives (sometimes used as fundraisers).

Programs at schools eventually spread out into the community, with civic organizations and local governments getting involved.

For the past two years, the City of Weirton has really emphasized the issue through a partnership with the MonPower/FirstEnergy Green Team.

Last year, just before Earth Day, city employees met with Green Team members to plant approximately 200 tree saplings at three city-owned recreational sites and greenspaces, with the hope they would grow and be able to be transplanted to other areas of the community.

Another 100 saplings were distributed to residents. Late in the year, the partnership took on another activity, working to do some maintenance at Starvaggi Memorial Park.

They’re at it again this year, and I hope to see it continue and, perhaps, even spread to other local communities.

Tuesday morning, a group from the city and the Green Team gathered at Marland Heights Park to plant another 30 to 40 saplings, taking additional plants to other spots in the city. Again, the hope is those saplings will grow and be healthy so they can be taken to other sites.

We’ve seen a change in the appearance at Marland Heights Park in recent years, with some of the long-standing trees found to be either dead or incredibly unhealthy and in need of removal. The landscape of the park is changing in many ways, and perhaps these new saplings, once they’re big enough, can help to bring back some of that green that has been missing in recent years.

Friday afternoon, another distribution was held at the park, with more than 100 flowering dogwood saplings available on a first-come, first-served basis. This will help to spread these trees across the community, providing some cleaner air, a little bit of shade, and, through the flowers from some of these plants, a supply of pollen to encourage a thriving population of butterflies, bees and other pollinators.

We all have an opportunity to learn and improve our environment, no matter the type of local economy we may have. It’s great to see programs such as this grow.

(Howell, a resident of Colliers, is managing editor of The Weirton Daily Times, and can be contacted at chowell@weirtondailytimes.com or followed on Twitter/X @CHowellWDT)