People in the United States as well as across the world started celebrating the Earth Day on April 22, 1970 when they became aware of the Environmental concerns prevailing at the time. Water and air pollution were so common during that time and so publishing of Silent Spring by Rachel Carson about the impacts of pesticides like DDT made people anxious about their mother nature. Thus, a day allotted for highlighting the support that is present worldwide for the Earth and Environment along with pointing out the repercussions of the acts humans cause through pollution is extremely necessary. This is significant when addressing the climate catastrophe at present so the government is well-aware of the pressing issue at hand and are urged to bring environmental policies to the forefront whilst simultaneously making people enact these laws. At present people make efforts on this day in particular to prevent deforestation and wastefulness of natural resources through picking litter and planting trees. One interesting fact about the United Nations’ Earth Day Celebration in New York City is that the Peace Bell, a gift from Japan is rung at the exact same time so it coincides with the vernal equinox.

Motivation Behind the First Earth Day

The Environmental movement in the 1970s was backed up by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to raise awareness about environmental issues. The rallies took place across the country and by the end of the year the US government created the Environmental Protection Agency. By 1990 the Earth Day was celebrated by more than 140 countries around the globe. Just a year prior to this Cuyahoga river in Cleveland caught fire emphasizing on the negative effects of chemical waste disposal. Factories were pumping their toxic by-products into air, lakes and rivers without any chimney filters or legal consequences. Big cars with engines that release carbon dioxide and oxides of nitrogen were used regularly as they were considered a status symbol and there was no concept of recycling. Similarly Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring had also been published in 1962 and had become very popular. Thus, Earth Day originally began as an idea for teach-ins, public reach outs and lectures at colleges or universities to educate people about their wrongdoings intentionally or unintentionally that harm the Earth. These teach-ins were similar to the ones during the Vietnamese War.

Nelson envisioned a large-scale, grassroots environmental demonstration “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda.” In 1969 The Earth Day concept was announced at a conference in Seattle and the story spread rampantly through wire service. People from all across the world were sending in inquiries through telephone, letters and telegrams. Even though Senator Gaylord Nelson was the one who set this celebration in motion, it was actually coordinated by a Stanford University student Denis Hayes. He served as the Student President at the university and was elected as the Earth Day’s national coordinator and mobilized an army of student volunteers and several staff members from Nelson’s Senate office to organize the project. The major purpose of the Earth Day was to incorporate environmental issues in the national policy agenda and it was rightly successful as 200 million people paraded for the sake of their planet. The project worked out well due to the spontaneous response at grassroots level. Now this day has been extended to Earth Week, a full 7 days of events focused on green living.

How was the First Earth Day Celebrated?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency on the first Earth Day rallies were held in major American Cities like Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago. In New York City, Mayor John Lindsay closed off a portion of Fifth Avenue to traffic for several hours and spoke at a rally in Union Square with actors Paul Newman and Ali McGraw. In Washington, D.C, thousands of people listened to speeches and performances by singer Pete Seeger and others, and Congress went into recess so its members could speak to their constituents at Earth Day events. The first Earth Day was very effective in transforming public attitudes and the public opinion polls suggest that a permanent change in national priorities was enforced following the Earth Day in 1970.

Just one year after the first Earth Day was celebrated, 25% ofAmericans believed in its importance in protecting the Environment. This started off the ‘Environmental decade with a bang,’ as Nelson correctly puts. Some important environmental legislation acts were passed, among them were the Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. In December 1970 the Environmental Protection Agency was established whose main motto was safeguarding human health and natural environment - air, water and land.

Steps to be taken during the Earth Day

Since the year 2000 the Earth Day has focused on clean energy and many millions of people from 184 countries and 5000 environmental groups participated according to the Earth Day Network (EDN). Activities ranged from a traveling, talking drum chain in Gabon, Africa, to a gathering of hundreds of thousands of people at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Today EDN collaborates with 17000 supporters and organizations in 175 countries. Join the movement for the 2021 demonstrations under the theme of ‘Restore Our Earth.’ Participate in events ranging from April 20-22, beginning with the global youth summit on the 20th. April 21st will consist of a Global Education Summit to educate the world on environmental issues and emphasize how mentroship can help mitigate harm to nature. Limit your waste and carbon footprint on Earth Day! Take a break from your usual habits and convenience that day by challenging yourself to use no single plastics on April 22nd. Also make an effort not to drive on April 22nd. If you have to go somewhere, try biking or walking instead.

Managing Waste

A plastic bottle takes over 450 years to break down in a landfill so before disposing something off make sure you are well aware if it can be recycled or repurposed. Toilet paper tubes, made from cardboard, take two months to decompose in a landfill. So before tossing these items into the trash can you can produce interesting pieces out of them such as a telescope or other decorative items like flower planters. Try including your children in such activities to make them conserve resources at a young age. Use cardboards and shopping bags or aluminum foils etc for science and art projects. Similarly you can reduce waste by limiting the amount of things you buy. Use reusable grocery bags made up of cloth whenever heading out to buy items. Keep them in your car boot so you do not forget them at home when going out. This will reduce the need to purchase plastic bags thus decreasing their collective demand in the market. Carry your own reusable water bottles. This will save you money and also reduce waste as you won’t be obliged to purchase new bottles or cans when thirsty. Although some of these containers can be recycled, the cost and energy to produce and ship them to the bottling facility and then to stores is a lot. Avoid single-use food and drink containers or utensils. Do not buy plastic plates, cups or straws that you will use only once and then dispose of. These need to be delivered by large trucks and will end up in landfill sites once they are used. A better alternative is to keep silverware at work such as cups, plates and forks or knives so you can rewash them and use them again. Buy metal straws so they can stay with you longer before discarding.

Go on Tree Plantation Drives

It has been estimated by researchers that roughly 15 billion trees in the world are cut down each year. To cover up for this loss it is advised to organize tree plantations regardless of the scale. It can even be a small group planting project in your neighborhood vicinity but make sure that the leaflets that you plant or the seeds that you sow are watered regularly and taken care of. Therefore do not plant them in a deserted area where no one would bother checking them out and your money, efforts and time would all go to waste. Trees are such an integral part of the ecosystem for they provide oxygen for humans and absorb the high levels of carbon dioxide in the environment. Similarly they serve as habitats for animals like squirrels and owls etc. Depending on where the trees are planted their shade can even decrease the need for air-conditioning in hotter regions. This cooling effect of trees helps regulate the climate in different areas. After planting trees, capture photos of your friends and team members along with the trees they have planted and post them on your social media accounts to spread the word about going green.

Conserving Energy

Turning off lights and making active efforts in using public transport so fewer vehicles are used and thus demand for fuel is also decreased can make all the difference when it comes to saving energy resources. When lesser vehicles are crowding the roads there will be a dramatic fall in air and noise pollution. Large sirens and horns will not be blaring into people’s ears and there will be lesser engines releasing harmful gasses in the atmosphere. Since fossil fuels are running out at a rapid rate it is advisable that alternatives like renewable energy resources in the form of solar, hydra or wind power are harnessed. Investing in solar panels for houses and public buildings will use sun’s rays to produce electricity and limit the use of oil, coal or natural gas. Moreover, these fossil fuels burn to release carbon dioxide and unburnt hydrocarbons or methane which are greenhouse gasses and contribute to global warming if present in excess amounts in the atmosphere. Similarly make it a rule that lights are turned on only at nighttime and not when you can utilize the sun’s bright light for daytime chores. Lower the room temperature because a large difference between the indoor and outdoor temperature can require large amounts of energy for maintaining room temperature. A smarter solution is to buy a programmable thermostat. Get your energy audits done. This is the process that helps you identify places in your home where energy is being lost so that you can take steps to overcome it and you will see a drop in your monthly bill too. Drive less, walk more and if you have the option for carpooling then avail it!

Limiting Use of Water

It is a researched fact that turning off your faucet while brushing teeth can save up to eight gallons of precious water. This is because even though Earth is three-fourths made up of water the quantity of fresh drinkable water is very limited for humans and animals to survive upon. In fact less than 1% of water on Earth can be used by humans as rest is too salty or difficult to access. Hence taking important steps like taking short showers and washing cars once every week should be immediately enacted. A lot of water is also wasted unnecessary in watering lawns hence use effective water conserving technologies like modern sprinklers which are automatic and work only when needed. Make use of rain water and collect it for different purposes. Check out for leaks in your toilet frequently as they can waste upto 100 gallons of water without you knowing. Install water-saving shower heads and flow restrictors which will cut your water flow to 3 gallons per minute instead of 5 to 10. Take baths instead of showers as lesser water is used with partially filled tubs. Plant drought-resistant trees and plants which do not require large amounts of irrigation due to their genetically modified seeds requiring less water to grow.