Earth Day has been celebrated every year since its inception in 1970 with a goal of bringing awareness to our beautiful planet. This brings the question of, why do we only use this day to celebrate it? We should show our love for our planet every single day, but we don’t consider the damaging effects our actions and decisions could have on it.

When did Earth day originate?

The original Earth Day was April 22, 1970. The first massive nationwide protest against climate change was on this day. People crowded the streets, demanding help and support for this worldwide issue. Many protests, climate change events, etc. were hosted by the public to show the government just how important a need for a change in our actions towards the environment was.

Some of these events hosted over half a million people. An estimated 20 million celebrated across the country that day.

April 22, 1970 was the largest demonstration of appreciation for the environment in American history. By the time of the 20th anniversary, over 200 million people in 141 countries were participating in the celebration of Earth Day. The celebration of this day continues to grow each year.

Senator Gaylord Nelson, politician and environmentalist, promoted Earth Day by influencing students to fight for the environment. He was the official founder of Earth Day and is known as “The Father of Earth Day.”

In July of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was established in response to the public’s need for cleaner water, air, and land. The need for Earth Day was also the main cause of the establishment of the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act.

Why should Earth Day be celebrated everyday?

Our Earth is the place we call home but if we keep treating it the way we do, it won’t be inhabitable by humans.

In decades leading up to the very first Earth Day, we were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas, releasing them into the atmosphere through automobiles. Industries were able to release smoke and chemicals into the air, and nothing was being done. Air quality was poor, water was constantly polluted, the world was slowly going downhill.

We still consume large amounts of gas, burn fossil fuels, pollute waterways, etc. and because of this, the Earth’s “life expectancy” is being shortened. It provides us with all of the resources we use to survive.
We should be celebrating the Earth every day of the year and continue to make efforts to preserve the environment for generations to come.