Earth Day is coming up on April 22nd. It was begun in 1970, sparked by an idea from Senator Gaylord Nelson, the junior senator from Wisconsin. For a long time he had been concerned about the deteriorating environment in the United States.
With the help of a lot of people, the first Earth Day became a success. It had support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city people and farmers, as well as business and labor leaders.
That first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and other first-of-their-kind environmental laws, among them the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. In 1972, Congress passed the Clean Water Act.
That is quite an accomplishment for a young organization. You can read more about Earth Day’s amazing accomplishments over the years at Earth Day: The Official Site | EARTHDAY.ORG
Among its many projects, Earth Day has worked to help save trees and forests. Trees are so important to our health and well-being. Among many other benefits, they help to regulate water cycles and soil quality.
This year, Earth Day is focused on ending plastics for the sake of human and planetary health. The organization is demanding a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.
There is a place on the Earth Day website for you to create your own act of green. Go to Create Your Own Act of Green – Earth Day and write about an action you took on Earth Day. In your own words, describe how you helped to make the Earth a little healthier.
There are more than three weeks to plan what you could do to help out. If you decide to write about the project you did, it could help other people use your idea or come up with one of their own to help our Earth be a little healthier.
