Junior Hannah Conner recycles plastic bottles to help protect the environment. Earth Day was started in 1970 to help raise awareness for the earth.
By Ridhi Patel
Apr. 22, known as Earth Day, started the modern environment movement. According to teacher.scholastic.com, Earth Day was found by Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson in 1970. The earth day movement started because of a major oil spill that happen in Santa Barbara. His goal was to force the environmental issues on the national agenda.
Hoping to convince President Kennedy, Nelson went to Washington D.C. to talk to him about the environmental issue. Before meeting the president he met Attorney General Robert Kennedy who thought the topic was a important issue. Later the president heard about Nelson’s plan to save the environment and started to make plans to help.
In Sept. 1963 Kennedy did a conservation tour in 11 states in five days. Even though the presidents tour was not successful in influencing people , Nelson decided he was not going to give up.
On Sept. 1969, Nelson announced that he would demonstrate a nationwide grassroot event for the environment for who ever wanted to attend. More than 20 million people and thousands of school and communities participated in Nelson’s demonstration, which took place on Apr. 22, 1970. People worldwide took notice about the environmental issues after the event.
The UN secretary-general singed a proclamation on Mar. 21, 1971 that established Earth Day as a international holiday. So people worldwide celebrate Earth Day on Apr. 22 by doing things that help the earth.
“Earth day can help people realize that saving the environment is a good thing,” junior Hannah Conner said.
The ecology club helps the schools become better for the environment by recycling papers, bottle, and cans. They have boxes in each classroom where teachers and students can recycle.
“You should recycle and conserve energy every day so the planet will be a better place,” Conner said.