The Earth Day Countdown

Earth Day is April 22, 2011...9 days away.  

The History of Earth Day

-the first Earth Day was April 22, 1970.

-scientists became aware of the effects of air and water pollution on humans and animals.  

-In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring.  She linked the spraying of DDT and other pesticides to decreasing bird and animal populations.

-Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, first proposed making environmental protection a national priority. He decided in 1969 that a single day devoted to an environmental teach-in might be the perfect way to put pollution, deforestation and other issues at the top of the nation's political agenda.

-following that first grassroots event, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Safe Drinking Water Act were passed.

 

-In 1990, Earth Day went global as an international event.

Conceived as an environmental teach-in by Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson, nearly 10 percent of the nation’s population participated in the first Earth Day. Nelson received nearly 500 invitations to speak at various Earth Day events. Image courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society