Earth Day is coming up Friday, April 22 and it got me thinking about when I was a kid and all that I was taught about taking care of our earth.

Remember the crying Native American in the “Keep America Beautiful” television public service announcement (see below) in the 1970s, observing all the pollution of modern society, created by non-caring people?  Remember Woodsy Owl with his environmental message of “Give a hoot, don’t pollute”?  Whatever happened to these all-important messages targeted at kids? We all know that good habits start at an early age and I haven’t seen any type of messages like these since I was a kid in the 1970s and ’80s. I find this very unsettling considering all the serious environmental threats to our beautiful planet.

I will admit, much has changed since those days with getting messages like this out. Everybody watched television in real-time and couldn't "forward" through commercials as we can now. People, especially kids paid attention to commercials so it was easy to remember them. Needless to say in today's world, getting the message out about being a steward to our planet and not littering is much more complicated.

Also, when I was a kid, I remember that on Earth Day, our entire school would go outside (weather permitting) and work together to clean up school property of any trash left on the ground.  I’m not aware of schools doing this anymore.  I do know that some teachers incorporate Earth Day in the classroom but it is certainly not mandated.  My one question is, shouldn’t it be?  And by all means, bring back ads that should be government-sponsored (social media, tv, radio) to target young people to influence habits that can make a difference in earth’s future!

In our modern age of global environmental health, these messages have never been more important. Personally, I think that environmental studies should be part of every school's curriculum. Teaching children about why it's important to take care of our precious earth is needed now to save it for future generations.

Did you know about all of these? Treasure Hunt At 12 Consignment and Thrift shops in Otsego County

Thrift and consignment shops have become very popular over the years and continue to gain in popularity since you can find some amazing clothing items or treasures that you just have to have. "Sky's the limit" on what you can find at any one of these awesome shops in Otsego County. Happy treasure hunting!

Is your favorite in here? New York's 'Sandwich Hall of Fame' Welcomes 13 Classics!

Is there a New York Sandwich Hall of Fame.? Well, there is now! and you are looking at it. OK, so I made it up, but you will be hard-pressed to argue with the choice of any of these winners. Check out this list of 13 classic, historic and beloved sandwiches all with a strong New York DNA.

21 New York State Counties With The Most Horrendous Commute Times

Have you ever stopped and added up how much time you spend behind the wheel? What are the worst commute times for counties across New York State?

How bad do we REALLY have it in New York State when it comes to our commute times? According to The U.S. Census Bureau, the national average for a one-way commute to or from work is 26.9 minutes and 9.3% of workers nationwide have a one-way commute of 60 minutes or more. Here in New York State, the mean travel time to work in minutes for workers age 16 years+ between 2016-2020 was around 33.5 minutes.

Which counties across the state are the worst?

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