Community Corner
Earth Day: A Retrospective
We take a look at how Earth Day became the global celebration of the environment.
Earth Day is the largest international environmental event in the world, and its roots are nothing short of serendipitous: 41 years ago, former U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin designated April 22 as a monumental day for our planet.
When Sen. Nelson decided that the was just not receiving the attention that it needed and deserved, he proposed a bill that designated April 22 as a national day to celebrate the Earth. The Wisconsin native created what he called an environmental “teach-in.” The observance was to be held nationwide.
The response was unexpected: More than 20 million people joined in that day, helping galvanize a movement that continues to grow.
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“The environmental issue simply was not to be found on the nation's agenda. The people were concerned, but the politicians were not,” Sen. Nelson told American Heritage Magazine in 1993.
“Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself,” he added.
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Within that same year, the Clean Air Act and the Water Act were passed, and the Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Richard Nixon.
The day that was designed to foster appreciation of our little blue planet now helps millions of concerned people spread the word about awareness of the issues that warn the planet of environmental dangers.
Since 1970, each year, events around the globe teach us how to change our wasteful ways and join the campaign to save the Earth and become more eco-friendly.
Earth Day is currently observed in 175 countries.
Looking to celebrate Earth Day in Highland Park this weekend?
La Tierra De La Culebra Park on 240 S. Ave. 57 will host an Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23 from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m.
There will be live music, dancing, workshops and a kids corner in the small urban oasis located just a few blocks away from N. Figueroa St.
