Chances are, if you are reading this blog, April 22nd is an important date for you; one that is synonymous with environmental care and awareness. It is, of course, Earth Day.
This important holiday has been observed for over 40 years, although many of us do not know how it began. Read on for a brief history of our planets' yearly day of appreciation and awareness.
Earth Day, as we know it, was founded in 1970 and initially
began as a project put forth by Senator Gaylord Nelson, prompted by the antiwar
protests of the late 1960s. During that time, Americans were becoming more
aware of the effects of pollution on their environment. One of the bestselling
books of the 1960s, “Silent Spring”, covered the dangerous effects of
pesticides on America’s land and subsequently citizens.
Senator Nelson and supporters envisioned Earth Day as a
“national teach-in on the environment”.
Nelson, who was elected to the US Senate in 1962 (D. Wisconsin), was
inspired by the anti-Vietnam War “teach-ins” that were commonplace on college
campuses at the time. According to Nelson, he wanted “to shake up the political
establishment and force this issue (of environmental awareness) onto the
national agenda.”
On April 22nd, 1970, the first Earth Day proceedings took
place in the form of rallies held in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and
many other cities across the country. These events succeeded in raising public
awareness of the growing pollution problem throughout America. Nelson had
focused the events on college students and hoped the publicized, (if somewhat
grassroots) events would bring environmental causes into the national
spotlight, which they did.
Since then, Earth Day celebrations have grown exponentially.
In 1990, Earth Day finally went global as “200 million people in over 140
nations participated in events” according to the Earth Day Network (EDN), a
nonprofit organization that coordinates Earth Day activities.
Thanks to its founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson, first ever
“Earth Day” which was observed 45 years ago, was a huge success that spawned
numerous others like it and solidified April 22nd as the nationally recognized
holiday we celebrate today.
As of 2014, according to the EDN, “More than 1 billion
people are involved in Earth Day activities, making it the largest secular civic
event in the world.”
Here at American Disposal, we pride ourselves on participating in multiple Earth
Day events each year. This year we will be present at numerous different venues
celebrating our planet and spreading the word on how to best care for it!
If you find yourself in the area this Saturday, come by and
see us at one of the following events to help us celebrate this important environmental
holiday!
Saturday, April 25th
Location: The Workhouse Arts Center, 9518 Workhouse Way,
Lorton, VA 22079
- Alexandria Earth Day, 10am-2pm
Location: Ben Brenman Park, 4800 Brenman Park Drive,
Alexandria VA 22304
- Spring Mar Pre-School Touch-A-Truck, 10am-2pm
Location: Lake Braddock High School, 9200 Burke Lake Rd, Burke, VA 22015
- Montclair Earth Day Celebration, 8am-12pm
Location: Montclair Community, Dumfries VA
