Earth Day is celebrated in many countries. Its founder, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, established this day to raise awareness of the problems of overpopulation, pollution, biodiversity loss, and other environmental concerns in order to protect the Earth.
It is a day to pay tribute to our planet and recognize the Earth as our home and our mother, as various cultures have expressed throughout history, demonstrating the interdependence between its ecosystems and the living beings that inhabit it.
It began to take shape in 1968 when Morton Hilbert and the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, a conference for an environmental assembly where students heard scientists speak about the effects of environmental degradation on human health. This was the first precursor to Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and his students worked to plan the first Earth Day. Other efforts emerged, such as the Survival Project, one of the first environmental awareness educational events, held at Northwestern University on January 23, 1970. This was the first of several events held on university campuses across the United States. Also in 1970, Ralph Nader began speaking about the importance of ecology.
The first demonstration took place on April 22, 1970, promoted by Senator and environmental activist Gaylord Nelson, to demand the creation of an environmental agency. Two thousand universities, ten thousand schools (elementary and secondary), and hundreds of communities participated in this event. The public pressure was successful, and the United States government created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a series of laws aimed at protecting the environment.
In 1972, the first international conference on the environment was held: the Stockholm Earth Summit, whose objective was to raise awareness among world leaders about the magnitude of environmental problems.
The Significance of April 22
Gaylord Nelson chose the date to maximize participation at universities, as he envisioned it as a gathering of teachers and students. He determined that the week of April 19–25 was the best option, as it did not coincide with exams or spring break. Furthermore, this date did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and it was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students would prefer to be in class, and there would be less competition with other midweek events—so he chose Wednesday, April 22. The day also coincided with the anniversary of the birth of John Muir, the renowned conservationist.
