Many countries celebrate April 22 Earth Day. But what exactly is its objective and when did it begin to be celebrated?
It all started in 1970, when the US Senator Gaylord Nelson established this date to create global awareness of the problems of overpopulation, pollution, destruction of biodiversity and other environmental adversities. It is also a day to pay tribute to the planet and recognize it as our common home and mother, as expressed by many cultures throughout history.
The first mass celebration of Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970, under the leadership of Gaylord Nelson, and with the specific objective of ask the US government to create an environmental protection agency responsible for ensuring the preservation of natural resources.
This date was chosen because it is located in the calendar in a period free of vacations or school activities that could reduce participation in the demonstration, and it did not conflict with religious or national holidays. A Wednesday was chosen, a day away from the weekend and which ensured an important mobilization of the students.
Already on March 21, the mayor of San Francisco, Joseph Alioto, launched the first proclamation and various celebrations were held both in this city and in Davis (California) for several days.
2,000 universities, 10,000 schools and hundreds of social groups joined the call for that first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. It was with this tremendous pressure (Several million people participated throughout the United States) that managed to create the current Environmental Protection Agency and several laws for the preservation of the natural environment.
In this video you can see one of the demonstrations that day, specifically in Philadelphia.
This experience continued to be consolidated in the following years and spread throughout the rest of the planet in a few years in which environmental demands began to be heard.
There is some controversy about the originator of the name Earth Day. One of the possible creators of the term could be, according to Wikipedia, John McConnell, who presented to UNESCO, at the Environment Conference, the idea of a world celebration with that name. However, it also seems possible that it was Senator Gaylord Nelson himself who named the day in this way, following the advice, in turn, of a friend of his who worked as an advertising executive.
Be that as it may, Earth Day has established itself over the years as an event in which to raise our voices about the problems that the planet is suffering and, at the same time, recognize the need to act to preserve it.