In honor of Earth Day 2021, I am bringing you some history about how Earth Day came to be, where it is now, and where it is going. As a father, I am passionate about recognizing Earth Day, every day. I strive in everything I do to leave this world a little better than I find in each new day. My dream is to leave our youth with a planet worth living on.
Earth Day began in 1970 when the modern environmental movement was born. 1970 is coincidentally, the year that I was born. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year. Up until the point of the first recognized Earth Day, the American people did not understand the gravity of the consequence of the industrial progress we had made as a nation. Although America’s Industrial Revolution was considered a sign of great progress, we began seeing the implications over time of such progress and how it was actually injuring our environment.
Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin was inspired by the student anti-war movement, occurring congruently with the budding earth-consciousness of the time. Senator Nelson got Congressman Pete McCloskey involved in the cause. The two joined forces with Activist Denis Hayes to engage in campus teach-ins aimed at educating America’s young adults about the importance of preserving our planet. The rest was history. 1
Since its conception in 1970, Earth Day continues to inspire action all around the world addressing concerns in the areas of climate, science and education, people and communities, conservation and restoration, and plastic and pollution.1
I am particularly passionate about people and communities. The many people who have dedicated their lives to environmentally conscious efforts inspire me to keep going and doing what it is that I do best, which is help people. I share the passion for educating the general public that I see displayed every year around Earth Day.
This year’s theme for Earth Day is “Earth Day Live”. In the spirit of 2020 and now 2021, Earth Day’s major events are being streamed live right to your device via earthday.org during its second-ever Earth Day Live digital event. There will be workshops, panel discussions, and special performances from people involved all over the world.
Start by celebrating this year’s Earth Day, but don’t stop after the festivities do! Continue to take action every single day to leave a better Earth for our children and our children’s children, so that they may get to enjoy Earth as we have in our lifetime. This is so much bigger than we know!
Earth Day began in 1970 when the modern environmental movement was born. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd every year. Up until the point of the first recognized Earth Day, the American people did not understand the gravity of the consequence of the industrial progress we had made as a nation. Although America’s Industrial Revolution was considered a sign of great progress, we began seeing the implications over time of such progress and how it was actually injuring our environment.
Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin was inspired by the student anti-war movement, occurring congruently with the budding earth-consciousness of the time. Senator Nelson got Congressman Pete McCloskey involved in the cause. The two joined forces with Activist Denis Hayes to engage in campus teach-ins aimed at educating America’s young adults about the importance of preserving our planet. The rest was history. 1
Source: earthday.org