The date was April 22nd, 1970, and it marked the first ever Earth Day. With the intention of raising awareness to many of the environmental issues at the time, Gaylord Nelson started a movement that would ultimately lead to many policy changes in the 1970’s and to a day of recognition that continues in 2016 and beyond.
The Environmental Decade
- 1970 The Environmental Protection Agency is established
- 1970 The Clean Air Act
- 1972 The Clean Water Act
- 1974 The Safe Drinking Act
- 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
- 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act
46 years later the majority of Americans are aware that Earth Day is celebrated every year in the United States. What many people do not realize is that the celebration occurs internationally in more than 190 countries. Earth Day became an international day of recognition in the early 1990’s. It has been said that the day is the largest one-day secular observance in the world. This observance is shared by individuals, groups, governments and industries.
This year in Minnesota alone there are over 45 events, recognized by Earth Day Network having to do with Earth Day being held on or around Aprill 22nd.
- The Twin Cities Metro Area alone has 40+ events, mostly consisting of organized cleanup efforts for people in the community, but also other educational opportunities and raising awareness.
- Park Rapids – Tree Day
- Duluth – Earth Day
- St. Cloud – CentraCare Health Earth Day Run
- Mankato – Honoring Earth Day Retreat
Earth Day Fun Fact
There are trees in existence today that were alive when The Great Pyramid of Giza was being constructed around 2560 B.C. (Live Science).
It’s Our Planet And Our Responsibility
Earth Day started as an activist movement to make drastic policy changes in the 1970’s. It morphed into a national day of awareness and ultimately into an international celebration. In the United States, there are many organizations, individuals, and businesses that have expanded the celebrating of Earth Day to be a week long event.
At Wallace Carlson, we take that one step further and apply our ‘Greener World Initiative’ to our daily operations year round. Not only is it important to us that our clients feel good about partnering with an environmentally responsible commercial printer, but we can also feel good and confident knowing that we are doing our part to preserve our planet for future generations.