What will you do to help the environment?

Sunday marks the 42nd annual celebration of Earth Day. How will you celebrate?

First observed on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was founded by United States Sen. Gaylord Nelson. Earth Day is said to be the beginning of the modern environmental movement. It is celebrated around the world in 175 countries each year on April 22. 

So, how can you participate locally? You can start by finding one of several Earth Day activities going on in and around our Midtown Patch. Check out the Billion Acts of Green site put out by the Earth Day Network. It lists thousands of local and national Earth Day activities.

Earthday.org is asking people to make a pledge to perform an environmentally friendly act, and across the globe more than 977 million acts of green have been pledged. Maybe you'll pledge to plant a tree or organize an Earth Day event.

What will you do to help the environment? Let us know in the comments.

Headquartered in Midtown, the Coca-Cola Company's commitment to the environment is no drop in the bucket. In celebration of Earth Month, Coca-Cola is partnering with River Network to donate more than 1,000 syrup drums for reuse as rain barrels in communities all across the country.

Rain barrels capture rainwater and help reduce stormwater pollution. Sediment that travels into rivers and streams as a result of stormwater runoff can directly impact water quality. By capturing water when it rains, these rain barrels eliminate some of that runoff, reducing its impact. Water can then be saved until needed during dry periods to water plants, wash cars and for other non-drinking water needs. Not only does this reduce water usage, it also saves money.

"The fact that Coca-Cola is donating so many rain barrels on such a broad cross-country scale makes this program truly unparalleled in scope or impact," said Matt Burke, Director of Corporate and Community Engagement, River Network, in a news release. "We're thrilled to partner with Coca-Cola to make a meaningful impact for healthy water resources around the country."

To date, more than 80 organizations in the U.S. have benefitted from Coca‑Cola's rain barrel donation program. These rain barrels have replenished an estimated 100 million gallons of water since 2008.

With these 1,000 new donations, Coca-Cola will have provided more than 22,000 syrup drums to be used as rain barrels all across the country since 2008. The new rain barrels will help replenish an estimated 60 million gallons of water each year. That is enough to fill 100 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

See here for more information.