Earth Day, held on April 22, aims to shine a light on the environment and the steps we can take to protect it. But did you know?

• April 22 was originally chosen to coincide with college students’ schedules, between spring break and final exams.

• Earth Day is now celebrated by more than 180 countries and 5,000 environmental agencies.

• It’s known internationally as International Mother Earth Day.

• More than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic event in the world.

While we’d all love to be able to do our part on April 22 to help the environment, sometimes our schedules don’t line up. That’s why LaGrange County REMC offers a way for our members to help year-round with our EnviroWatts program. For $5 a month, you can contribute to positively impacting our local environment and community.

Members who participate in the EnviroWatts program pay an additional one cent per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for their first 500 kWh, guaranteeing the number of kWh to be generated from environmentally friendly alternative energy sources. 

That premium is then placed in a fund that is used to provide grants to nonprofit groups’ environmentally friendly projects in LaGrange County.

Last year, LaGrange County Parks and Recreation used EnviroWatts grant funding to plant oak trees in a prairie at Delt Church Park, located between Topeka and Wolcottville, restoring the area to its pre-settlement landscape.

Members who contributed to the EnviroWatts program should be proud of the project their dollars made possible. We sure are.

Mark your calendars to sign up for EnviroWatts this Earth Day, April 22, by visiting lagrangeremc.com/programs or calling the office at 877-463-7165.