Most people know about the holiday that is celebrated in April every year. This national holiday is known as Earth Day. Earth Day means different things to people depending on your lifestyle and where you were raised. Earth Day is a national holiday that focuses on the environment. This is a little history on Earth Day.

The Founder of Earth Day

The founder, and man, behind Earth Day, is Gaylord Nelson. At the time he suggested this national holiday he was a United States Senator from Wisconsin. He stated that after seeing the impact of a massive oil spill that took place in 1969 in Santa Barbara, California things needed to change. He was inspired and wanted the public to gain knowledge about water and air pollution. He wanted the holiday to be on April 22 because it was between spring break and final exams. He was trying to drive his message home to students since they were the future of our country.

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The First Earth Day

The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970. It appeared everyone supported this day. The rich, the poor, the Democrats and Republicans, old and young people, all turned out for this day. By the end of this first year of Earth Day, several environmental acts have been passed. Some of these acts included the Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act, The Endangered Species Act, and the organization known as the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

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Milestones for Earth Day 

1990

In 1990, Earth Day went global. It was not just a day to celebrate in the United States. It had become an important issue worldwide. This year helped to push the recycling efforts within the United States. It brought environmental impact into the media for all to see.

1995

Also, in 1995 brought about an award for the founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson. Senator Nelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the President of the United States Bill Clinton. The award is the highest honor given to a civilian in the United States.

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2000

The Millennium year was also a big year for the Earth Day holiday. This year Earth Day activists used the internet to get its message across. The power of the internet reached millions more than it had ever reached before. This was the first year that people gathered together in Washington, DC for what was called the First Amendment Rally. This message soon made it clear that the people wanted action to be taken to resolve the issue of global warming and laws to be passed for cleaner energy ideas.

2010

The year 2010 was not a good year for the environment. Global warming was a huge challenge for the environmental community. It appeared the public was becoming more desensitized to the Earth Day ideas. Even though all of this was up against the ecological community Earth Day came through with a massive turnout for the Climate Rally at the National Mall in Washington, DC. This year the Climate Rally introduced a global tree planting project. This tree planting project is still in effect today.

Ways You Can Help Save the Environment on Earth Day and Every day

1. Watch Your Water Usage: There are several ways to watch your water usage. You can turn off the water while you are brushing your teeth. Take shorter showers. Reuse your towels and wear clothing more than once.
2. Unplug Items when they are not in use: This is something we do not even think about, unplugging items. Most people do not realize that when we leave items plugged in, they still are using energy. This is not only consuming more resources than necessary, but it also costs us more money. Unplugging items takes only a second and will help to save the environment.
3. Pick Up Litter: This can be done around your home, on your street, at a park, at a local school or even just along the roadside where you live. Litter kills animals and ends up in our water systems, such as our lakes and oceans. 
4. Buy Local Food: We go to the grocery store and do not even think about how those foods are made available to us. Food is transported long distances not only emits greenhouse gases, but it has lost most of its nutritional value by the time it arrives at your local store. Buying foods locally, will not only be better for you but for the environment.  
5. Walk, Bike or Carpool: Instead of using an elevator you should take the stairs and save energy while you get in shape. If your job or school is close to where you live you should bike or walk there.  If where you need to be is farther away, then you could carpool with other people to save on the pollution a car produces.
6. Plant a Tree: This is the most common Earth Day activity. By planting even just one tree it helps to provide shelter for wildlife, it helps to recycle the water, prevent soil loss and most of all trees help to filter pollution from the air. 

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Earth Day is celebrated by over a billion people around the world every year. This day helps people to see how they can change their actions and help the environment. Helping to protect the environment has come a long way since the first Earth Day, but the fight for clean air, water and soil continues as the climates changes increase every year.

What will you do today to help positively impact the environment?