By the mid-20th century, pollution had become so severe that it required attention in the United States. In 1969, Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, got the idea for a national event to address the pollution problem and the need for change. On April 22, 1970, the first “Earth Day” brought 20 million Americans into the streets to call for clean-up efforts and better treatment of the lakes, rivers, oceans, air, and land that make up the United States.
This first Earth Day brought together Americans of all backgrounds and political parties. By the end of 1970, Congress passed the first environmental protection laws, and President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency. Over the next several years, Congress passed additional acts to protect the people, land, wildlife, and water that make up America, such as the Clean Air Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Earth Day 1970 sparked change in the United States, but it wasn’t until 20 years later that it took off globally. In 1990, original Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes took the campaign to 141 countries, where 200 million people came out on April 22 to promote environmental issues. After Earth Day 1990, the United Nations held its first Earth Summit in 1992, and recycling efforts increased worldwide. Earth Day was officially an annual, global event.
Since 1990, global citizens have celebrated Earth Day every year, bringing attention to climate change and the need to protect our planet to an increasingly larger number of people. More recently, young people have taken action on environmental issues, holding rallies and creating non-profits such as Zero Hour and Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future.
While we still have work to do, the progress and action inspired by the original Earth Day inspire us to keep up our efforts.
What can you do?
You can help by recycling right, reducing the amount of waste you create, reusing as much as possible, repurposing items around your house, and just appreciating nature and the world around you. Consider supporting a local organization that helps keep your community environmentally friendly, or organizing a neighborhood clean-up or an information campaign.
For more ideas, read Everyday Earth Day Actions.
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