Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day – a day designed
to inspire awareness and appreciation for the planet. Since 1970, the United
Nations has celebrated Earth Day on the March equinox – during spring for the
Northern hemisphere, and autumn in the southern hemisphere.
History
In 1969, United States
senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin
proposed an environmental protest "to shake up the political establishment and
force this issue onto the national agenda." Nelson told the conference
attendees that in the spring of 1970 there'd be a grassroots demonstration on
behalf of the environment and welcomed them to participate.
Nelson described the response as being "electric", recalling
the millions of telegrams, letters, and phone calls he'd received from all over
the country. "The American people finally had a forum to express its concern
about what was happening to the land, rivers, lakes, and air - and they did so
with spectacular exuberance," wrote Nelson.
Approximately 20 million Americans celebrated the first
Earth Day.
Response
Earth Day 1970 had a huge effect – not just on citizens, but
politically as well. It led to the creation of the United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and
Endangered Species acts.
In honor of founding Earth Day, Senator Nelson was awarded
the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest honor given to civilians in the
U.S.
In 1990, Earth Day went global – recruiting 200 million
people in 141 countries. It also another major milestone as it gave a boost to
recycling efforts worldwide.
Today, Earth Day is observed in 175 countries and is coordinated
by the nonprofit organization Earth Day
Network.
Celebrating Earth Day
Earth day means different things to different people. To
environmentalists, Earth Day may signify a public commitment to environmental
action. The Earth Day Network encourages commitments like educating friends and
family or through "green initiatives".
However, Earth day may not stand out significantly for
everyone. Cassara of the World Resources Institute acknowledges this fact by
saying, ""[Earth Day] doesn't raise awareness among the general public in
the same way that it used to. But it still provides a benchmark for reflection
among those of us in the environmental community."
Resources:
http://www.earthday.net/node/77
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day
http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/090421-earth-day-facts.html
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