Brief History
Since the Industrial Revolution, the industry boom has led to a massive increase in air pollution. As America's pockets filled with wealth, the air was simultaneously filled with smoke, sludge, and smog. However, everything started to change when Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was released in 1962. It spread awareness for human and wildlife health and showed a correlation between public health and pollution.
In 1969, a Wisconsin Senator named Gaylord Nelson witnessed an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. As a result, Senator Nelson decided to conduct teach-ins on college campuses. He persuaded Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey to serve as co-chair and both men recruited an activist named Denis Hayes. After recognizing the impact of these college teach-ins, Denis Hayes created a diverse staff to promote environmental events. They eventually called this Earth Day and started gaining media attention. "By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act (“The History of Earth Day - Earth Day”).
Source: https://www.earthday.org/history/
Earth Day Facts and Tips from Our Volunteers
Jamila: Reduce your carbon footprint by reducing water, deleting some unwanted emails, recycling, and reducing electricity usage!
Ananya: On the very first Earth Day, more than 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 public schools, and 20 million citizens participated -- which was about 10% of the US population at the time.
Zane: Make sure to unplug electronics when you are not using them to conserve energy!
Ananya: It’s estimated that over a billion people participate in Earth Day every year, making it the largest secular observance in the world.
Earth Day Quotes from Our Volunteers
Alyssa Musa: “Earth Day should encourage us to reflect on what we are doing to make our planet a more sustainable and livable place.” ― Scott Peters
Zane: The only way forward, if we are going to improve the quality of the environment, is to get everybody involved. ― Richard Rogers
Alyssa Musa: “Time spent among trees is never time wasted.” — Anonymous
Akhila Martin: “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” —Albert Einstein
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