Photo: istock – Millefloreimages
Every April 22, a bunch of folks get out their blue bins, litter picker-uppers and compost buckets to celebrate Earth Day. But how much do you really know about this humble planet-helping tradition? Test your eco-trivia knowledge and find out:
Earth Day has been around since 1970 In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace. A month later, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a national environmental ‘teach-in’, realizing if he could raise the emerging public awareness of air and water pollution, it could force environmental protection onto the political agenda. On the 22nd of April, 1970, millions of Americans demonstrated for a healthy environment in coast-to-coast rallies.
Earth Day has affected major environmental policy The first Earth Day has been acknowledged for contributing to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Earth Day is one of the world’s largest non-secular ‘holidays’ The event went global in 1990, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries Earth Day activities in 1990 helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. According to Earth Day 1970 organizer Denis Hayes, Earth Day is now celebrated by more than a billion people every year.
Why April 22nd? Well.. it’s usually nice out! The Earth Day date was actually chosen for a number of reasons. As it was originally a campus ‘teach-in’, this date did not fall during spring break or exams. It did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and perhaps most importantly, is late enough in spring to have decent weather!
So this Earth Day, why not get out and celebrate? Take a few moments to consider what a great planet we actually have. Find a local event, volunteer or just think what small actions you could take to help make our planet just a little greener.
Earth Day Network – http://www.earthday.org/
Earth Day Canada – http://www.earthday.ca/
