EARTH DAY FACTS: The History Of Earth Day (And Why It's April 22)

Earth Day is officially April 22 every year.

FIND EARTH DAY EVENTS NEAR YOU

Use the Earth Day Network's search tool to find a place to volunteer your time and celebrate the Earth.

THE BEGINNING OF EARTH DAY

John McConnell -- a peace activist whose interest in the planet grew from his experience working in a plastic factory -- proposed an Earth Day in 1969:

Mr. McConnell proposed an Earth Day -- to celebrate Earth's life and beauty and to alert earthlings to the need for preserving and renewing the threatened ecological balances upon which all life on Earth depends.

Of course, it wasn't official, and there's got to be somebody to make Earth Day official. That's where Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) came in. He reportedly saw the damage from the major Santa Barbara, Calif., oil spill and got fired up, so he asked Congress to make Earth Day official -- which it did.

BIRTH OF THE EPA AND THE "REAL" EARTH DAY

President Nixon tried to gain some political capital -- hard to come by during the Vietnam war and a recession -- by announcing an "Environmental Quality Council" and a "Citizens' Advisory Committee on Environmental Quality." But people didn't buy it. They said it was just for show.

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So Nixon signed legislation called the National Environmental Protection Act, which gave birth to the EPA as we know it now -- right before what most people consider the first Earth Day, which was April 22, 1970.

For a funny take on Earth Days since, check out Grist's list.

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Environmentalist John McConnell first celebrated Earth Day in 1969.

WHY APRIL 22?

The huge amount of young activism in the United States in the 1960s caused leaders to choose April 22 for Earth Day. The story is that April 22 was chosen because college students would be likely to be available. It falls between spring break and final exams.

Each year, however, somebody brings up the fact that April 22 was Lenin's birthday. Senator Nelson's response is pretty good, so we'll leave it to him:

"On any given day, a lot of both good and bad people were born," he said. "A person many consider the world's first environmentalist, Saint Francis of Assisi, was born on April 22. So was Queen Isabella. More importantly, so was my Aunt Tillie."

More Earth Day Facts from MNN and Earth Day Facts from the History Channel.

Comments

[Bowingobama1]

Lets honor all the people who come in private jest and limos, they spewed out a lot of CO2 just to get there! Great example you dolts! If they really believed they were destroying our planet would they be using these? NO!

[Bowingobama1]

Keep your cars on all day in protest to the religious left wing wackos that believe in this garbage. Look at the past 600m years of history and educate yourselves about real climate change.

[HateHater123]

I've been a committed recycler all my life, and am appalled at the ever mushrooming quantity of plastic in our products and containers. I put every bit of it in my recycle bags at home; yet I work in a large store with a fast food outlet, and the amount of plastic I see going through that store and into land fills is mind boggling. Doing our part at home is a start, but WE MUST force those businesses, particularly fast food sellers, to take responsibility for recycling or discontinuing the use of plastic containers. WHAT ON EARTH ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH VAST MOUNTAINS OF THE STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!! There are many many environmental issues, but I do believe that we must, as individuals, and businesses, and a Nation, STOP IGNORING THE PLASTIC!

[strength]

I am proud that we are fighting for our earth, im in the fitness industry and there are a couple companies that are fighting too: please check out my articles!

http://www.examiner.com/x-7820-Tampa-Home-Fitness-Examiner~y2009m4d21-Cybex-goes-green-fitness-equipment-done-right

and

http://www.examiner.com/x-7820-Tampa-Home-Fitness-Examiner~y2009m4d22-Gym-Source-Goes-Green-Earth-day-is-every-day

happy earth day everyone!

[Dredd]

Happy Earth Day to all: http://blogdredd.blogspot.com/2009/04/happy-earth-day.html

[Harmony1812]

Darn. I thought the April 22 was chosen becuase it is my birthday! April 22 is also the day after Taurus begins. Taurus is a very strong earth sign.

[Dredd]

Happy B-earth day

[Coyote2]

In the final tally, whether our concerns are Health, Environmental, Climate Change, or Energy Scarcity, the solution to all these issues is to throttle consumption before Progress Traps throttle us. (Ronald Wright: “A Short History of Progress”)

Consumption was last century’s economic model; in a post-Modern world we must convert to a Recycling-based economy. Growth will come from New Energy, not consumer goods. Home Depot, like Walmart, is obsolete.

But of course, in a capitalist model where growth in consumption is not only desirable but necessary, sustained consumption reduction is absurd, for it creates a serious economic issue -a depression. So, lacking a revolution in economic thinking (or an economic crisis) and for the sake of the continuation of the last century’s economic model, we are effectively addicted to excessive consumption.

And thus also to the ongoing wasting of our water, health and environment in order to sustain and encourage economic growth. We cannot live without the industrial dragon even though he will klll us all. A Progress Trap.

(Excerpted from my essay posted at BigThink.com: Taming the Dragon; Earth Day, April 22, 2008)
http://bigthink.com/topics/love-and-happiness/ideas/taming-the-dragon-consumption-in-western-society

[wyomingredneck]

Earth day is such a joke I wonder how many of these so called enviros go to earth day events by car or private jets and preach to the rest of us on how to live our lives and what to drive and what kind of house to live in.

[radicalcentrist44]

Ask Al Gore who has to heat and cool his mansion and travels in SUV convoys to go 3 blocks. Also ask Laurie David who uses private jets instead of travelling commerical.

[Coyote2]

And U 2? What great environmental deeds have U done?

~

waiting....

~

I thought so.

[ezeflyer]

Happy Earth Day!

No to corporate government and yes to direct online democracy!

[radicalcentrist44]

You have to show that classic picture of the National Mall filled with litter after an Earth Day rally. It almost looked as bad as the National Mall after Obama's inaugauration.

[Harmony1812]

In the sixites there was shame attached with littering. People were outspoken about population growth the biggest reason to be concerned for Mother Earth. Now, people litter everywhere and don't care how many children they produce. We need to awaken the fervour of the sixties!

[JacquesH]

In 2009, U.S. Can Celebrate Earth Day Without Being Red In The Face
Jacques Halle, World Weather Post
What a difference a year makes. Today on April 22nd 2009 the United States can celebrate Earth Day without being red in the face. The new Obama administration is pushing for a climate change bill in Congress. Quite a difference with George W. Bush’s early denial of the existence of climate change.
In the last eight years, the attitude of the U.S. government has been how to best use Earth for our own personal financial gain, while the current administration is trying to save the planet, not squeeze all the juice out of it at any cost.
Obama on Earth Day:“We’ve got to move to a new energy era and that means moving away from polluting energy sources towards cleaner energy sources that is a potential engine for economic growth. I think cap-and-trade is the best way from my perspective to achieve some of those gains because what it does is it starts pricing the pollution that’s being sent into the atmosphere.”
Americans, be proud. God bless America and Mother Earth.
Read more of my blog on http://www.worldweatherpost.com/category/climate-change/

[ham4114]

Unfortunately, I haven't heard that China, Russia or India have the slightest interest in cutting their carbon emissions.

[JacquesH]

I agree with you,but most industialized countries have long since recognized the existence of climate change. My point was that Obama has at least 8 years of catching up to do.

[MissElaineous]

When I was a kid, I loved the libraries. I somehow came across Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" not too long after it was published and had a real epiphany. In 1970, when I was a sophomore in high school, I went to the first big Earth Day celebration and met people who really cared about what was going on in the world. Then, a few years later, it wasn't fashionable anymore and it was hard to find people to talk to about it. I moved to CA and managed to find the one recycler in San Francisco and had to haul my papers and so on about 3/4 of a mile from my place every month. Now, here I am, surrounded by people who are "green" and still drive SUVs, buy crap in plastic (Its Trader Joe's and its organic, of course its green ), think being green is listening to adverts about bottled waters/sodas/junk food/plastic by companies whose marketing divisions put a picture of a tree in the background. I could go on and on. I just wish that being green was a natural part of our lives and not a gimmick.

[marcosmom]

Do you know which environmental nonprofits are making a difference? You can write a review or read reviews about great local, regional and national environmental groups. Which environmental groups offer great experiences for their volunteers? Check out GreatNonprofits 2009 Green Choice Awards. www.greatnonprofits.org/green?/hpost

Happy Earth Day!

[makrom]

FoxNews.com has NO MENTION of Earth Day at all today on their site.

Complete homepage and wall-to-wall advocacy and promotion of the tea parties attended by 300k right wingies last week.

Yet NO COVERAGE of Earth Day that celebrates our planet and has since 1970.

The conservatives have completely politicized the efforts to save our planet and environment.

[burt2009]

Get real wil ya. FOX covers news that other MSM cannot honeslty bring themselves to report.

[Harmony1812]

Of course they wouldn't. They want us to drill, baby, drill. It is good for them to produce many, many Republican babies. Repbulicans would rather save polluting corporations money than to protect the earth. They don't believe that the enviroment will be an issue because the rapture is coming soon. Just pray about it and God will fix it.

[burt2009]

You are living proof of today's socialist education system. Better know as "brain washed"

[kassandrasduplex]

Here's an exciting fact:
While Obama has publicly declared his unwillingness to prosecute ANY Bush officials for you-know-w­hat....and only recently indicating that maybe at least an investigation MIGHT occur, his DoJ under Eric Holder is marching merrily along to prosecute Tim deChristopher, and American environmentalist HERO. deChristopher is facing 10 years in federal prison for disrupting the illegal Bush public land firesale late last year. And it is the Obama Admin. doing the prosecution.
There is a pattern to Obama's rightward shift since he was candidate Obama.

[Harmony1812]

How, because he is upholding the law no matter who breaks it?