Want to celebrate your connection with Mother Earth?

Sunday is your chance — it's Earth Day.

The holiday was created in 1970, the culmination of the environmental movement of the 1960s, said Terry Link, MSU's director of campus sustainability.

"There is a Mother's Day and a Father's Day," Link said. "Why not an Earth Day?"

Since the holiday's creation, Link has seen high and low points in national environmental awareness.

"In some communities, it is bigger than in others," he said. "There seems to be a raised sensitivity on environmental impacts that we have not seen in recent years."

Link said there are many ways you can promote a healthy environment.

"Don't get into a car. Ride your bike or walk," he said. "Have fun.

"Life has got to be about having fun."

Energy efficiency

One way to reduce the amount of energy you use is eating low on the food chain, as well as purchasing locally grown foods, Link said.

Conserving energy is something you can do year round, said Aileen Gow, executive director of the environmental organization Urban Options in East Lansing.

And it can save you money.

She recommends closing and latching your windows when running your heat or air conditioning.

You also can save energy by using rope caulk to seal your windows shut.

"These all add up to big savings," she said. "It's actually easier than you think."

Gow also suggested switching to energy-efficient lightbulbs and shower heads.

Compact fluorescent bulbs use 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs, she said.

And while a standard shower head uses roughly 5 gallons of water a minute, a newer, more efficient shower head can cut that amount by half.

"Right now, people can do really simple things to save energy," she said. "It's a win-win situation."

River clean-up

You can take a more hands-on approach to Earth Day.

MSU's Fisheries and Wildlife Club will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the Canoe Shelter at Bessey Hall for a Red Cedar River clean-up.

"Our main goal is to have the community come out and experience the river," said Chris Homeister, president of the campus club.

The club provides canoes, waders and rakes for participants.

"They will see a lot of critters and, in having that experience, they will think twice about throwing a pop bottle or stolen bike into the water," said Homeister, a fisheries and wildlife senior.

"We hope to spread the knowledge that this is a healthy river."