While April 22 is just around the corner and Earth Day is a wonderful time to reflect and celebrate this incredible planet, this month there are two other days that highlight hugely important environmental issues. March 21 is International Day of Forests and March 22 is World Water Day.

How to celebrate? After all, these days commemorate such enormous global issues. If I had to choose one action, it would be this: plant a tree.

With the simple act of planting a tree, each of us can help maintain the urban forest and shift the water crisis, all with one easy but profound step.

Planting and caring for trees not only supports that local forest by increasing a healthy canopy, it helps heal the watershed as well. TreePeople’s planting of more than t 2 million trees over the past four decades in Los Angeles has helped local watershed health while giving us the benefits of a thriving urban forest.

So don’t wait until Earth Day, do it now! Gather your friends, and volunteer for a tree planting or care event. Put a tree in the ground, give it a name, and every time you care for that tree remember all the gifts it gives to you and our planet.

And if that’s all simple enough, why not set up a 30-day challenge for yourself? Plant and care for as many trees as you can between now and Earth Day. Let us know your number. When you contemplate the ramifications of so many of us doing such a simple thing, well, that’s really something to celebrate!

For more about tree planting and care events near you:
www.treepeople.org/volunteer

For more about TreePeople’s forestry and watershed work:
www.treepeople.org/learn

International Day of Forests, March 21:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

World Water Day, March 22:
www.waterday.org
United Nations International Year of Water Cooperation
Surfrider Foundation

Earth Day, April 22:
www.earthday.org