Earth Day is on April 22nd. This year marks the 50th Anniversary. Many people don’t know how Earth Day has started or how to participate in it. Luckily, Anchor News has got your full rundown of all things Earth Day!

History of Earth Day

The start of the push for environmental awareness began in 1962 when Rachel Carson published her New York Times bestseller, Silent Spring. The book brought public awareness to environmental concerns with pollution and public health. The founder of Earth Day is Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. He came up with the national holiday after witnessing an oil spill. He wanted to combine the views of anti-war protest with environmental issues. At the time, gasoline fumes from cars and industrial pollution were high, according to earthday.org.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans joined collegiate and university protests to raise environmental awareness. This was marked as the first Earth Day. That day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Earth Day went global in 1990.

What You Can Do

Earthday.org has a wide variety of daily activities. Along with spreading awareness, activities include making signs, planting trees, picking up litter, or saving electricity by turning off lights when you are not using them or using sunshine from windows instead. You can drop off cans and cardboard at local drop sites, such as the ones by Scotus or St. Bonaventure. You can save resources by using silicone or metal straws and reusable water bottles. 

So, even though you may be stuck indoors, it’s still important to take care of the planet we all live on. Be sure to follow CHS Anchor News on Twitter and Instagram at CHS Anchor News. I’m Libby Wurdeman, CHS Anchor News. 

Above: The Earth Day logo for 2020 (Image courtesy of Earthday.org)