Earth Day, 50 Years On

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970, and marked the beginning of the organized environmental movement.  Much of what flowed from that era -- the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act -- has made us safer and healthier, until now.  With the abandonment of the Paris Climate Accord and environmental and wildlife regulations being rolled back or eliminated, much progress has been halted or reversed. 

The theme for Earth Day 2020 is climate action, since climate change represents the biggest challenge and threat to life on the planet.  We're fortunate that there's a vibrant and growing youth climate activist movement with global leaders such as Greta Thunberg and countless others here in the U.S. and abroad.  Now, as much or more than in 1970, we need to be aggressive in confronting the reactionaries and despoilers, so we can leave our only home healthy and thriving for generations to come.

Due to the pandemic, this year is the first year Earth Day will be celebrated online.  You can go to earthday.org to participate or simply to learn more about what citizens can do to support environmental activism.

Earth Day, 2013

Forty-three years ago, the U.S. celebrated the first Earth Day, a day set aside to raise awareness of the Earth's fragile ecology and man's often destructive effect on it. If you have a chance to volunteer for Earth Day activities -- stream clean up, rallies, etc. -- do so.

Earth Day, 2012

It's Earth Day (as every day should be). Reuse. Recycle. Reduce. Replenish. Restore.

Earth Day's 40th Anniversary

When the first Earth Day was celebrated 40 years ago today, there was no national awareness of the peril our environment faced, no Clean Air or Clean Water legislation, no EPA to enforce environmental laws. The first Earth Day originated with a group of 20-somethings in an office on P Street in Washington, DC, inspired by the late Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) who called for "teach-ins" on the environment a year earlier.

Still, with global warming deniers and their polluter patrons spreading doubt and misinformation, there is much ignorance and opposition to overcome. Perhaps on Earth Day's 50th anniversary, we'll have more to cheer about.

It's Earth Day

Every April 22, we celebrate Earth Day to focus on environmental issues and to recommit to a green future. Earth Day started in 1970 as an environmental teach-in sponsored by the renowned environmentalist, the late Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, and has marshalled the energies of millions over the years to fight for a clean environment.

Leaving a cleaner, greener planet for future generations is the ultimate gift.