About Earth Day

April 22nd is Earth Day, a nationally recognized day set aside to improve public awareness about the environment. Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin, was an environmental activist and decided to move forward with the momentum gained in the early and mid-60's by The Wilderness Act, which was drafted to protect the 9 million acres of federal land.

Senator Nelson first approached President John F. Kennedy in 1962 about including environmental issues on a conservation tour. President Kennedy traveled to eleven different states over five days to share the message of preserving the environment in September of 1963. While it took until 1970 to have Earth Day officially recognized, it was a start.

Taking inspiration from the "teach-ins" in the 60's, where anti-war protestors had sit-ins on campus to share their views on the Vietnam War, he began having "teach-ins" for the environment as well. They announced the plans for an environmental movement in September of 1969 and the response was pouring in from all over the country. People sent letters, and telegrams and called Senator Nelson's offices for more information.

Denis Hayes was selected to organize the first Earth Day out of a donated office and with a few college students as staff. The grassroots movements across the United States led to nearly twenty million people celebrating Earth Day.

Earth Day's date is the same as Julius Sterling Morton's birthday, the founder of Arbor Day. Some think it was the inspiration for choosing April 22nd as Earth Day. While Arbor Day is still celebrated on April 22nd in Nebraska, it varies around the rest of the world. It is usually changed to fit in with the best planting time for the area. There are some organizations that promote Earth Day around the vernal equinox, around March 21st.

Earth Day has continued to grow over the years. Some cities have even started having Earth Weeks, which usually begin on April 16th and conclude on April 22nd. Earth Day is celebrated in 175 countries by more than a half billion people worldwide.