COLUMBUS, Ohio — Earth Day is here and one central Ohio organization is continuing its efforts to keep Goodale Park clean while preserving the variety of plants and trees.

According to the 2023 Global Climate Report from the National Centers for Environmental Information, 2023 was the warmest year since global records began in 1850. They also reported that the 10 warmest years in the 174-year-old record have all occurred in the last decade. 

People of all ages came out to Goodale Park in Columbus to collect trash, weed, mulch, and more as the Friends of Goodale Park, a nonprofit and volunteer organization, hosted their Earth Day event on April 13. 

Molly Winters Kryzan said this event is not just a typical workday.

“We’re teaching people a little bit about how to maintain a garden and how to take care of a city park,” Winters Kryzan said. “I mean, what better way to show how much you care and you’re leading by example.”

She said this event is an important step to make sure you properly take care of the park.

“Today is really very important. You’re getting all those weeds pulled up, you’re putting mulch down, and just getting the beds ready,” Winters Kryzan said.

Casey Saup, lecturer at the School of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University, said Earth Day started in 1970 because of environmental issues and it is important as discussions about climate change continue.

“Right now, we are warming faster than we ever have before,” Saup said. “We are also seeing temperatures we haven’t seen in a long time in Earth’s history.”

Saup said the rise in temperatures and other key factors in climate change can add to the total number of natural disasters there are in the world. She said in Ohio there have been more tornadoes this year than our yearly average.

“With climate change, we’re expecting to see an increasing frequency and severity of almost all natural disasters. And you can see that and changing weather patterns already,” Saup said.

Winters Kryzan said she is worried for her kids’ generation because of how people continue to treat the environment.

“We’ve become so deliberate on about how we order things online. We aren’t aware of how much cardboard and gas and things we’re consuming at such a rapid, rapid pace,” she said. “And I really wish people would slow down and maybe ride their bike instead of using a car or just be a little more resourceful about maybe don’t order everything. Try to use local products and local farmers and local people as much as you can. That really does help.”

Saup said everybody can make a difference in our lived environments, and Molly Weaver is one of over 50 people that came out to volunteer during the event.

Weaver said it’s not just rewarding to help the environment, but it is also one of the best ways to take care of yourself.

“I’m a huge nature girl. I love going outside. I love learning about stuff and I also think it’s also a great form of therapy to get outside,” Weaver said. “And I think it would be really cool to kind of spread that to more people and just how nice it is to just go outside and kind of like, enjoy it and people should definitely appreciate it more.”

Winters Kryzan said volunteering and seeing the difference being made in a big city is what makes Earth Day a great way to spread awareness.

“It’s great to know that there’s people who still care about their community and their environment around them,” Winters Kryzan said.

The Friends of Goodale Park plans to have their annual planting day on May 4.