Earth Day, April 22, is an annual celebration devoted to environmental protection. First organized in 1970 by American activist Denis Hayes, the day began on college campuses and secondary schools and eventually spread globally to more than 190 countries.
The most recent accomplishment of Earth Day activists was in 2016 when world leaders signed the pivotal Paris Agreement. The co-signers were the United States, China, and 120 other nations. Their signatures rolled into action new initiatives to reduce environmental destruction and limit carbon emissions to stall the effects of climate change. The treaty was adopted by 195 counties and was presented at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris on Earth Day.
Earth Day & Conservation Photos
The first Earth Day celebrations took place in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States in response to the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969. The day’s purpose was to expose millions of Americans to the sunshine of Spring while involving them in peaceful demonstrations for environmental reform.
Since then, Earth Day activists have been instrumental in numerous environmental initiatives, including education programs, regulating pollutants, and advancing green energy.
Alexander Von Humboldts was the first environmentalist. Get a tote bag of his work here!
According to Denis Hayes, Earth Day is now "the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year."
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