Each year on April 22, communities around the world celebrate Earth Day and focus on how we can all nurture the environment. But how did this global observance begin?
Earth Day, first held in 1970, has grown from a series of campus teach-ins to a worldwide event celebrated by millions. This annual day of action serves as a reminder of our ongoing struggle to protect our planet.
Organizers of the first Earth Day reportedly scheduled the event on a Wednesday to avoid conflicting with the “weekend activities” that college students enjoyed.
That must have been the right call. That April 22, 1970, hundreds of campuses across the country hosted lectures, protests, and clean-ups, alongside citywide events in Washington, D.C. and New York City.
The environmental movement has changed since the first Earth Day. In the last half century, climate change entered the radar of organizers and the public. More people ...
