JACKSON, Wyo. —Tomorrow, April 22 is Earth Day. In its 51st year, Earth Day has evolved into a global movement, unifying environmental issues and an estimated 1 billion people worldwide.
The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, marking the birth of the modern environmental movement. About 20 million Americans took to the streets and college campuses to demonstrate against the impacts industrial development was having on the environment. Rallies were held across the country, unifying various environmental movements of the time.
Public awareness about environmental issues had not been widely discussed or analyzed in the United States. In 1969, a massive oil spill occurred in Santa Barbara, California, further bringing to light air and water pollution concerns. Rachael Carson’s book Silent Spring published in 1962, also began a national conversation about what industrialization was doing to the environment. The book chronicled the effects of chemical pesticides, specifically the widespread use of insecticide DDT, and sold over half a million copies in 24 countries.
Inspired by these events and the anti-war movement occurring on college campuses throughout the country, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson set into motion the first Earth Day.
Nelson recruited Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey to serve as his co-chair as they organized campus teach-ins across the country, and began spreading the word through various media campaigns. He also recruited activist Denis Hayes with organizing the campus teach-ins, applying the same energy as the student-led anti-war movements occurring at the time to environmental issues like clean air and water.
April 22, 1970, was chosen because it was a weekday between spring break and final exams for colleges and universities in the U.S
The campaign sparked media attention, and on April 22, 20 million people, 10% of the population demonstrated against the environmental and human health impacts of industrialization over the past 150 years.
At the time, Earth Day drew support from both political parties and gave a voice to the emerging public concern surrounding the state of the planet.
By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act. A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and soon after the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
In 1990 Earth Day went global, with organizers in 141 countries and over 200 million people participating. President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honor given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.
By the early 2000s, the messaging for Earth Day began to focus more heavily on the actions required from world leaders to combat global warming and the shift to clean energy.
Earth Day 2020 marked 50 years of environmental advocacy. Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local policy changes.
A new sense of urgency has been revitalized recently, with increasing numbers of young people getting involved, fueled by the power and connection of social media. Climate Strikes have occurred around the country with young people demanding climate justice as the environment continues to deteriorate at alarming rates.
In 2019 students from Teton County rallied for climate justice, skipping school to protest on the Jackson Town Square, demanding action from local and federal governments.
Today, many communities and organizations have extended Earth Day beyond a single day. This year, Teton Valley, Idaho Earth Day activities and service projects are being held from April 22 through April 24, both in person and virtually, highlighting different organizations and their events. More information about service projects and community clean-ups can be found here.
