1) In 1970, US Senator Gaylord Nelson looked for a way to promote the environmental movement. He proposed the idea of “Earth Day”. His plan included lessons and projects that would help explain to the public what they could do to protect the environment.
The first Earth Day was held on 22 April 1970. Since that year the day has been celebrated annually.
2) A large oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, inspired Senator Nelson to organise a national “teach-in” day to inform the public about environmental protection issues.
3) After being elected to the Senate in 1962, Nelson began trying to persuade legislators to set an environmental agenda. But he was repeatedly told that Americans were not concerned about environmental problems. He proved everyone wrong when, on 22 April 1970, 20 million people came out to celebrate the first Earth Day and support the teach-in.
4) When Nelson began planning the first Earth Day, he wanted to increase the number of college students who could take part. He chose 22 April because for most schools it was after the spring break but before the finals in May. It was also after Easter and Passover. And, of course, it did no harm that this date fell one day after the birthday of the late conservationist John Muir.
5) Earth Day may have originated in the USA, but today it is a global event celebrated in almost every country of the world.
Earth Day owes its international status to Denis Hayes. He was the national organiser of Earth Day events in the USA, and in 1990 he coordinated similar Earth Day events in 141 countries. More than 200 million people around the world took part in these events.
6) With celebrations covering 5,000 environmental groups and 184 countries, the main focus of the Earth Day celebration in 2000 was climate change. Thanks to this mass effort, many people heard about global warming for the first time and learned about its possible side effects.
7) In 2011, to mark Earth Day, 28 million trees were planted in Afghanistan by the “Earth Day Network” within the campaign “Plant trees, not bombs” .
8) On Earth Day 2012, more than 100 thousand people cycled in China to raise awareness of climate change. Cycling showed people how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save the fuel burned by cars.
9) On Earth Day 2012, more than 100 thousand people cycled in China to raise awareness of climate change. Cycling showed people how to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and save the fuel burned by cars.
10) In 2016, more than 1 billion people in almost 200 countries of the world took part in the Earth Day celebration. The theme of the celebration was “Trees for the Earth” , and the organisers drew attention to the global need for new trees and forests.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the Earth Day Network aimed to plant 7.8 billion trees globally by 2020 through the Canopy project.