A Beginner's Guide to Earth Day

Earth Day is an annual event most commonly celebrated the 22^nd of April. Earth Day is a day on which people around the world gather to participate in activities and demonstrations aimed at raising public awareness about a variety of environmental issues including air pollution, water pollution, habitat destruction, renewable energy, climate change, species losses, and environmental policies. The history of Earth Day is rooted in the 1970s, during a time when the modern environmental movement was gaining momentum.

In the United States and increasingly around the world, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22. Another celebration, referred to as the equinoctial Earth Day, occurs on the vernal equinox each year. The equinoctial Earth Day was first introduced in 1969 by peace activist John McConnell. The very first Earth Day ever celebrated was organized by McConnell and took place on March 21, 1970. Earth Day has also inspired other observances such as Earth Week and Earth Hour. Earth Week celebrations in some cities begin on April 16 and culminate on April 22. Earth Hour was first celebrated on March 28, 2009, from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time.

Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson (1916 - 2005) is widely considered to be the founder of Earth Day. He inspired and helped organize the Earth Day celebrations in the United States that took place on April 22, 1970. It should be noted that there was another Earth Day that preceeded the April 22, 1970 Earth Day. It was held a month earlier on the vernal equinox which fell on March 21, 1970. The March 1970 Earth Day was organized by newspaper publisher and activist John McConnell.

The Earth Day Network (EDN) is an organization founded by those who held the first Earth Day in 1970. It promotes environmental citizenship and worldwide environmental action and awareness. It was founded on the belief that all people have a right and moral obligation to maintain a healthy and sustainable environment. The Earth Day Network works at multiple levels—local, state, national, and global—to provide environmental partnership and problem solving. They implement environmental educational programs, help to mobilize communities to act on behalf of environmental preservation, and support a range of activities and events around the world.

Earth Day highlights many environmental issues but some years, certain issues receive more attention than others. This year, the Earth Day Network is launching the Green Generation Campaign which focuses on reducing carbon emissions through renewable energy sources, promoting sustainable consumption, and creating greener jobs and a greener economy. Past earth days have highlighted issues such as recycling, air quality and water quality.

The first Earth Day in 1970 succeeded in garnering support from Republicans and Democrats alike. It transcended economic status and brought together people from cities, towns, and farming communities. It inspired the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. In 1990, Earth Day gained global support—its organizers were able to mobilize 200 million people from 141 countries. The 1990 Earth Day brought the importance of recycling to the forefront. Earth Day 2000 drew together 5000 environmental groups and reached out to hundreds of millions of people in 184 countries.

There are a wide variety of events and volunteer opportunities available on and around Earth Day. To stay abreast of the events open to you, you might consider subscribing to the EDN Newsletter. After doing so, you'll receive e-mail updates and alerts that will keep you up to speed on Earth Day programs and activities. If you would like to get involved at a higher level, you may consider joining the EDN Partner Network. If you're a teacher, you can sign-up for the EDN Teacher's Network. If you are interesting in volunteering then you may want to visit the EDN volunteer center.

There is no shortage of actions you can take to honor Earth Day at home, work, or school. At home, you can do things such as recycle your old cell phones, find an alternative to bottled water, stop using plastic bags, reduce the junk mail you receive, and switch your accounts to online bill payments. When commuting to work you can use public transportation.

The April 22 observation of Earth Day has been celebrated for nearly four decades and is credited with raising public awareness of environmental issues and inspiring important environmental legislation. But is Earth Day really all that it could be, or has its lost its edge over the years? While Earth Day is now widely observed, the scientific field of Earth science has quietly disappeared from public and political agendas. Yet Earth science is central to our ability to solve environmental problems. Perhaps future Earth Days can evolve into something that better embraces the foundations of science on which we must address enviornmental issues.

Reversing environmental problems such as air and water pollution, habitat destruction, over-consumption of non-renewable resources, and global warming requires much more than the single day of observance Earth Day offers. Embracing Earth Day means changing the way we live, not just on April 22, but all year long.