Earth Day comes every year on April 22nd, a whole day dedicated to bettering the Earth and raising awareness about the future of our planet. Earth Day dates all the way back to April 22, 1970. On this day, several people decide they want to make a change to help better the planet, the problem is this only happens on one day, Earth Day. Instead, we should continue these changes every day. One small change, for only one day, won’t help in the long run, it is important to understand that helping the planet takes time and lots of patience.
Earth Day marks the day the modern environmental movement started. The day has a bulky history behind it, before Earth Day, there were several unethical cars that used leaded gas which was very unsustainable. Due to the large amounts of air pollution, there was even a strong smell that people had accepted as the “smell of prosperity.” During this time, most Americans had no idea that it would lead to huge environmental and health concerns.
In 1962, Rachel Carson wrote a book called Silent Spring. This book explained the harm and dangers that modern agricultural and modern chemicals pose on wildlife. Carson used her writing to help people realize how they can prevent harm to themselves and wildlife around them.
The first Earth Day was organized by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, he had been aware of the environmental problems for a while and after witnessing the aftermath of a terrible oil spill in California, he decided to take a stance. Nelson recruited Denis Hayes, a student at a local college, to help organize campus teach-ins and then they began to include the general public.
They decided on April 22 because it was between spring break and final exams, this was to get as much students participation as possible.
The first earth day caught the media’s eyes, and overall the day inspired 10% of the population of the United States, which was about 20 million people. They were inspired to spread the knowledge and begin the fight for our earth. Now, people celebrate the day by making choices to make the planet a better place.
Many people now help by picking up plastic, taking care of local nature, planting trees and various other plants, and are also helping by reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Most importantly, it is essential to understand and research our planet and the dangers that are currently associated with it, being educated on the reality of the earth is extremely important. Currently there is a loss of sea ice, a rise in sea level, intense heat waves, and even more horrors to come if there problems continue. It is important to stay educated on our planet, we can then adapt to what needs to happen to better the planet.Not only should we be focusing on bettering our planet on Earth Day, but also every day that follows.
