After celebrating the 53rd Earth Day this past weekend, it seems like an opportune time to look back at the history of Earth Day as many of the rules and regulations Cornerstone works with now came about because of Earth Day.
A Wisconsin Senator by the name of Gaylord Nelson was the one behind getting the very first Earth Day started. He was worried about the shape of the environment in the U.S and, after taking notice of the energy behind the anti-war protests by students, decided that something similar could be done to raise public awareness about air and water pollution. The original plan for Earth Day, before it was even given the catchy moniker, was for a teach-in on various college campuses to the national media on April 22nd; however, that all changed when a young activist named Denis Hayes, who was in charge of organizing the event, decided to promote it across the country. His efforts helped gather a number of individuals, groups, and organizations together and it was decided to change the name of the event to “Earth Day”.
The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd, 1970 and the response from the American people was overwhelming. Over 20 million people went out to protest, rally, and demonstrate across the nation to bring attention to the environment and its importance. For anyone curious, the population of the United States of America in 1970 was over 200 million people; meaning that about 10% of all Americans turned out for Earth Day and supporting the environment (Census Bureau, 2021). Earth Day was so effective that by the end of the year, Congress approved and the President signed the Clean Air Act into effect as well as the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency; both of which are just as, if not more, effective and relevant today at defending our environment. It could be said that this helped get the ball rolling for other key environmental legislation to be passed, such as the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
Earth Day later went on to become recognized around the world, with groups from a wide variety of countries taking part in the efforts to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the environment. Earth Day has even taken on the effort to raise awareness about the need to address the growing issue of climate change. Even after 50 years, Earth Day is still observed by about 1 billion people across the Earth.
Some people participate in Earth Day through more political means by joining marches, protests, letter-writing campaigns and other public demonstrations to raise awareness and show support for the environment. Others volunteer for various environmental projects, cleaning up trash from their local beach or park, planting trees and/or other native plants, cutting down invasive species, and even educating others in their local community about the importance of the environment. You don’t have to solve the climate crisis to take part in Earth Day.
Jonathon Lewis is an EHS and Sustainability Associate out of Cornerstone's Zionsville Office. He graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in December with a Master's degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability. In his free time, he enjoys watching tv shows on various streaming platforms, reading, and running outdoors.