Earth Day! 🌎

Earth day is today! We all hear about earth day some way or another, by social media or maybe our calendars, but what is it really about? That's what I will be exploring today, the origins of Earth Day. It's pretty common knowledge that Earth day is a day where we take care of our Earth and celebrate the world we live in, but it's actually much more than that.

Earth day is a relatively modern holiday. The first Earth day was in 1970 and now over 190 countries celebrate it (various). It is April 22nd of every year because that was the day the modern environmental movement came along.  The modern environmental movement was made to target certain issues. Some issues that played a role in the birth of this movement are the oil spills of the coast of California, the endangerment of the Bald eagle, the pollution of the Great Lakes, etc. (Gordon). This was the beginning of environmentalism in the U.S. and inspired a lot of activism for our planet today. Earth day is what helped people speak up about environmental issues. According to Earthday.org, "Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans — at the time, 10% of the total population of the United States — to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts." In other words, Earth day gave people a voice and allowed people to share their thoughts about pollution and such. After the first Earth day the Environmental Protection Agency was created (various). The  National Environmental Education Act was then passed and so where the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, the clean water act, endangered species act, and many more (various).  These new appointed laws not only protected animals from extinction but also protected people from deadly diseases. Earth day became a big day and went global and is now celebrated in many countries. So, I encourage people to take some time today to appreciate the world we live in. Thanks for reading today's blog!
Photos to remind us of our amazing home:

Lumi Island

Methow Valley

My dog Ada

Our garden

Thailand

Iceland

Thailand

Thailand

Methow Valley

Hawaii

Crater Lake

Star flowers

Thailand

Methow Valley

(Taken by me and my mom)


Sources:

Gordon, Erin L. “History of the Modern Environmental Movement in America.” American Center, American Center, June 2012, photos.state.gov/libraries/mumbai/498320/fernandesma/June_2012_001.pdf.  Accessed 2/22/20. 

“The History of Earth Day.” Earth Day, Earthday.org, www.earthday.org/history/. Accessed 2/22/20.