April 22nd is the anniversary of an environmental movement that started in 1970, also formally known as Earth Day. This national day is celebrated to bring awareness to the land we live on. Let’s take a look at our history:
1970 – 20 million Americans rallied together from the coast to express their beliefs in a healthy and sustainable environment. These groups protested against oil spills, polluting factories, power plants, and more. As a result of the first Earth Day, the United States Environmental Protection Agency had been created along with several environmentally friendly acts: Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species.
1990 – By this time, Earth Day became global and went from 20 million to 200 million people! With more people becoming aware of creating a sustainable environment, they wanted to make a difference. People worldwide were volunteering to recycle more. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was created 2 years later.
2000 – With the rise of the internet and the help of social media, Earth Day 2000 transitioned into the digital world. Activists around the world were able to form groups and organize activities such as a drum chain that traveled around Gabon, Africa. Over a hundred of thousands of people gathered in DC for a First Amendment Rally. These world leaders expressed their intentions to take action on global warming and clean energy.
(Source: https://www.earthday.org/about/the-history-of-earth-day/)
We’ve seen the effectiveness of celebrating Earth Day and wanted to see how our community will make a difference for the environment, and here are some of their responses:
