Earth Day

Earth Day

History

Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries.

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace. A month later the United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970. He hired a young activist, Denis Hayes, to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes renamed the event "Earth Day". Denis and his staff grew the event beyond the original idea for a teach-in to include the entire United States. More than 20 million people poured out on the streets, and the first Earth Day remains the largest single-day protest in human history. 

An estimated one billion people around the world took action for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2010. More than 200 elected officials in more than 39 countries took part in active dialogues with their constituents about their efforts to create sustainable green economies and reduce their carbon footprints. Students around the world participated in school greenings, featuring community clean-ups, solar energy systems, school gardens, and environmental curriculum. In partnership with the Peace Corps, Earth Day Network worked with local volunteers to implement environmental and civic education programs, tree plantings, village clean-ups, and recycling seminars in rural areas in Ukraine, the Philippines, Georgia, Albania, and Kolkata, India.

Earth Day 2020 featured programs on education, faith, plastic cleanup, citizen science, reforestation, conservation, food and agriculture, art, green cities and voter mobilization. Acting both globally and locally, Earth Day followers worked to spread climate literacy, end plastic pollution, adopt plant-based diets, preserve biodiversity, and reforest the earth. Through social media, Earth Day participants joined digital events and shared their support. Over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is being referred to as the largest online mass mobilization in history.

Earth Day 2021

According to the official website, the theme for Earth Day 2021 is 'Restore Our Earth', which focuses on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world's ecosystems. Here, we bring you some ideas on how to safely celebrate it.

Virtual events:

• EarthDay.org’s “Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth” live stream event will begin Thursday at noon ET. It will feature climate leaders, activists, and celebrities discussing environmental issues. 

• “Connected by Earth”, an Earth Day program with NASA runs through April 24. It features live presentations from NASA scientists, videos, and interactive science content for kids and adults.

• National Geographic has gathered musicians, storytellers, and activists for an Earth Day Eve celebration. Performers include Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Yo-Yo Ma, Angélique Kidjo, AURORA, José González, Maggie Rogers, Rostam and Valerie June. It will premiere Wednesday night, and be available on their YouTube page to watch any time.
• WE ACT for Environmental Justice will hold a virtual 5k race to raise money for the organization. People who take part will be encouraged to walk or run 5k during the week of April 17-25th.

New documentaries to watch:

• “Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World” on PBS and PBS.org. The three-episode docuseries looks at what Thunberg did when she took a gap year from high school in 2019 to focus on spreading awareness about climate change.

• “Secrets of the Whales” by National Geographic on Disney+. Narrated by Sigourney Weaver, the docuseries was filmed over a three-year period across 24 locations.

• “The Year Earth Changed” on AppleTV+. The documentary is narrated by David Attenborough and looks at how the coronavirus pandemic lockdowns affected the nonhumans on this planet.

Ideas:

• Get outside, if the weather allows. In case you need motivation, a study in 2019 found spending two hours walking in nature a week was associated with good health and wellbeing. Go!

• Plant something. Head to your local garden store and ask about native plants or wildflower seeds.

• Scavenger hunt. A quick search for a “nature scavenger hunt” will pull up options from a stroll in your neighborhood to hiking through the mountains. Enjoy it!

• Pick up litter when you see it and dispose of it correctly, but not just on Earth Day. It can be done as part of a large event or simply every time you step outside.