Description

Earth Day is held on April 22, a day of action and advocacy related to environmental protection. It encourages individuals and organizations to come together to push for sustainable behaviours and mobilize for change.

Earth Day originated in the United States in 1970. There was growing public awareness of environmental issues driven by noticeable air pollution, media coverage of environmental incidents (such as the Cauyahoga River spontaneously bursting into flames), new publicly available science, and the rise of advocacy journalism on TV. However, the environment was not a political priority and was almost completely absent on the political agenda. US Senator Gaylord Nelson, an ardent conservationist, wanted to force the issue into the political dialogue of the country. He brought together activists and campaigners who had successfully developed civil rights and anti-war campaigns and organized the first Earth Day rallies involving over 20 million Americans.

The effect of that first Earth Day was significant –it brought the importance of protecting the environment into the public consciousness, and the astounding wave of public opinion upended the political agenda of the Nixon Administration, resulting in 13 fundamental pieces of legislation in the next decade and creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The Earth Day movement grew quickly, and (officially) went global in 1990 with 141 nations participating; in 2025, it is estimated that over 1 billion people from over 190 countries participated

Over the decades Earth Day Canada has encouraged action on protecting and restoring our planet and promoting sustainability. Activities cover a wide range – educational workshops, park clean ups, tree planting, wetland walks, protests, campaigns for policy changes (for local to global issues), refusing plastics –encouraging people to become informed and involved in any and all aspects of safe guarding our planet..

This year, Earth Day is Wednesday April 22

- Text provided by Beth Junkins, CFUW Kanata