Photo credit:
Alex Indigo, flickr
Earth Day is two separate events, one held on the Spring Equinox and established in 1969 by by peace activist John McConnell, and another more widely-celebrated event on April 22. The April Earth Day was founded by Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in in 1970. Nelson, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, devised the first Earth Day as an environmental demonstration "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda." His enemies, at the time, were air pollution and industrial sludge entering the waste stream. In 1990, recycling was added to the agenda; and in 2000, Earth Day focused on global warming.
Far from its roots as political protest, Earth Day has grown to a worldwide celebration of environmental activism, and what constitutes the "Earth" has grown extremely broad. According to the Earth Day Network, the holiday now seeks to include in its cause "all issues that affect our health, our communities and our environment, such as air and water pollution, deteriorating schools, public transportation and access to jobs, rising rates of asthma and cancer, and lack of funding for parks and recreation." Modern Earth Day activities include festivals, tree plantings, garden events, seed swaps, bike rides, and recycling fairs.
The date was chosen, according to Nelson, so that students would be in class and thus available for rallies and demonstrations (in 1970, April 22nd fell on a Wednesday). It did not conflict with spring break, exams, Easter or Passover. The date is also the birthday of Vladimir Lenin and Julius Sterling Morton, founder of Arbor Day. Organizers thought the date was also the birthday of John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, though his birthday is actually April 21.
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