Why Earth Day

Why Earth day do you ask? Many have asked the question why Earth Day since its inception on April 22nd, 1970 I imagine. Lets begin with a brief history on this historic event. This year, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the original day which was celebrated on April 22nd, 1970. Those were troubled times, with the Vietnam War, Anti-War Protests, and then April 22nd. The founder of Earth Day was Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin whom proposed the first nationwide environmental protest to “shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.” and as he recalls “it was a gamble, but it worked.” Those were the days when we had little to no regulations regarding environmental safety standards, clean air acts, clean water acts, and everyone pretty much did as they pleased in terms of polluting the air, water and soil. What is earth day purpose?

The original earth day turned that all around as an estimated 20 million US citizens rose up united against the lack of protections for our environment. They demonstrated for a stop to all the needless destruction of our environment and a new, healthy sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, who was the national coordinator for the event, recruited by founder of earth day Sen. Nelson, along with his staff of young, enthusiastic kids organized massive rallies from coast to coast. Many colleges and universities, perhaps in the thousands, organized protests to help protect the environment, and save it from the mass destruction we were imposing upon it. These protests united a groups of people whom had similar interests about protecting the environment, such as fighting against oil spills, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, wildlife extinction, and factory and power plant pollution. These groups came together realizing they all had the same interests at heart and shared these values.

Here is a clip from the Founders and Organizers:

On this day, April 22nd, 1970, there was an abundance of successes. The political support gained from both Republicans and Democrats was nearly unheard of, rich and poor, young and old all came together. This day eventually led to the creation of the EPA, and the enactment of clean air, clean water and endangered species acts. Senator Nelson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor given to civilians in the US for his part as Earth Day Founder.

Moving the clock forward to 1990, some environmental leaders got together and asked Denis Hayes to reprise his role as coordinator again, only this time his audience was the world. On that April day in 1990, over 200 million people from 141 nations organized and pressed the issue of environmental health at the global scale. This monumental day in 1990 led to a major boost in recycling worldwide and paved the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Moving the clock forward to the year 2000, and they called on Denis Hayes once again to launch another campaign, with the focus on global warming and clean energy this time. On April 22, 2000, over 5,000 environmental groups from around the world were organized and participating, leading to attendants and participants form a record 184 countries and totaling hundreds of millions of people. This sent a message loud and clear that the masses wanted quick and decisive actions to be taken on global warming and clean energy.

Now with the clock up to date and the year 2010, we are still fighting for a clean and healthier environment, and the battles of clean energy and global warming still persist. Roll out the red carpets and prepare yourself for the event of the decade. Hold a gathering of friends, co-workers, family, and others with the same interests as yourselves, and let’s show them that we do care, and we do mean business! Plant some trees, cleanup some trash, plant flowers, however you choose to celebrate.You can find more events, how to create and list one at EarthDay Network or any other organization participating in this years celebration. This is earth day purpose and why earth day to answer those questions.

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