Earth Day
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| This article is part of the Living together theme Alternative economy |
Earth Day corresponds to two different celebrations : a global event on March 20 or 21 (vernal equinox) when Earth Day is celebrated internationally or on April 22, an event that started in the USA in 1970.
The symbol of the event is a green capital theta on a white background.
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[edit] Origin of Earth Day
Every year, Earth Day marks the date when the ecological movement as we know it now was born in 1970. It was first celebrated on April 22 avril 1970, when the Us senator Gaylord Nelson encouraged students to set up projects in their communities and raise awareness about environmental issues.
Gaylord Nelson, the senator of Wisconsin, proposed the first highlighted protest concerning the environment in the US to shake the political establishment and force them to include this issue in their agenda on a national level. « It was a bet », he remembers, « but it worked ». Indeed, this first Earth Day led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the adoption of the « Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Act ». In 1990, thanks to Denis Hayes' action, Earth Day became a global event, with 200 millions people in 141 countries acting as levers to highlight the ecological issues at stake. Earth Day has dramatically boosted information campaigns about reusing and recycling and helped pave the way for the UN Earth Summit Nations Unies in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
In Quebec, it's been celebrated since 1995 with plenty of activities meant to raise awareness. Jacques Languirand has been the event's mouthpiece since 2000.
Earth Day is a means to send a strong message and claim all the citizens of the world want quick concrete action in favour of clean energies. Now, more than 500 million people in 184 countries take action every year on that day. With time, Earth Day has become the gretaest world event about environmental issues.
[edit] Vernal equinox
In February 1971, the UN Secretary, Thant signed the proclamation of the international Earth Day. Traditionally, at the moment of the equinox, the Japanese Peace Bell is rung (it's been offered by Japan to the UN).
[edit] Concrete actions
Besides being a time to communicate plenty of information about particular initiatives, Earth Day is also a moment for eco-citizenship. Taking part in Spring clean ups is one action among many others.
[edit] See also
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[edit] Bibliography
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