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?

• The first Earth Day was in 1970.

• Earth Day is now celebrated by more than 190 countries and 5,000 environmental agencies.

• 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 is 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, the LaGrange County Parks Department received EnviroWatts funding to reestablish a native flower-heavy prairie at David Rogers Park.

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.