History of Earth Day and Few Unknown Facts

Did you know that Rainforests once covered 14% of the earth’s land surface; which is now merely 6%, and experts estimate that these rainforests could be consumed in maximum 40 years. We are losing about 137 plants, animal and insect species every single day. Every second about 310 Kg of toxic chemicals are released into the air, land, and water by industries all around the world. Where are we leading?
Hold on and read ahead!
Significant days like Earth Day come and go. For some, it might be an occasion to plant a tree, discuss how distressed our planet is and preach ways to protect it. Very few of us would actually sign up and gear towards making this day count and work towards creating a sustainable environment.

History of Earth Day:

Always celebrated on 22nd April, Earth Day is beckoned by the contribution of thousands of people and major historical events. The establishment of Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, The Clean Air Act of 1970, The Clean Water Act of 1972, The Endangered Species Act of 1973, The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 and The Federal Occupational Health and Safety Act aimed at “in-plant pollution” can be credited to the foundation of this day.
Earth day was founded in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson. Soon after the massive Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 when 90,000 barrels of crude oil spill into the Santa Barbara Channel, killing approximately 3,500 seabirds, dolphins, seals and sea lions.
Post-Vietnam riots to combat water and air pollution Senator Nelson started “national teach-in on the environment” and persuaded others to join him. On April 22, 1970, over 20 million Americans stood up in his support for environmental protection.

Two decades later, in 1990, leader Denis Hayes took Earth Day to the global stage and made the environmentally-conscious holiday an international one.
After Hayes’ initiative, Earth Day became a celebrated holiday in 184 different countries with the Earth Day Network. Today, EDN (Earth Day Network), works with numerous partners and communities in more than 192 countries. Earth Week is celebrated by several communities to create awareness about dreadful environment issues.

Facts about Earth Day:

1. Earth Day Flag is known as Ecology Flag. Created by cartoonist Ron Cobb, it was first published in the Los Angeles Free Press on 7 November 1969.  Greek letter theta is used as the Ecology symbol and is a combination of letters “E” and “O” sourced from the words “Environment” and “Organism,” respectively. 13 alternating-green-and-whites stripes with a symbol on the left complete the flag.
2. The tune of Earth Day Anthem is set to the Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” melody.
3. Earth Day became an international event on 21 March 1971, when UN’s Secretary-General U Thant mentioned about it at a Peace Bell Ceremony in the United Nations, New York City.
4. Earth Day Network is the organization behind the Earth Day movement and works with over 22000 partners in more than 192 countries.
5. Earth Day 2000 combined the ambitious spirit of the first Earth Day with the activism of Earth Day 1990. This year Earth Day used the Internet to expand its reach.
6. In 2009, United Nations renamed Earth Day as International Mother Earth Day.
7. On Earth Day 2012, about 100,000 people rode bikes in China with a mission to combat CO2 emissions and save fuel.

Regardless of what you do, celebrate Earth Day every day. Understand your carbon footprint and ways to limit its impact on the environment. Turn off lights and appliances if not in use, save water by repairing leakages, recycle and compost, and ensure that all the garbage is disposed of in trash bins only. Remember, that Earth is the only legacy that your generations would enjoy. Leave behind a planet worth living!
At Ugaoo, we are celebrating the Earth Day month. Entire April we would connect with you through green ideas, products and ways you could make a difference to your planet. Feel free to connect on social media channels. We welcome you to help us SAVE EARTH.

Earth Day Anthem:

Joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love throughout all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world.

References:
https://eluxemagazine.com/magazine/why-celebrate-earth-day/
http://www.calmac.com/energy-storage-articles-the-history-and-importance-of-earth-day
https://www.earthday.org/about/the-history-of-earth-day/
http://www.resnet.us/library/earth-day-why-its-important/
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/earth-day-facts-and-significance.php
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/04/08/earth-day-wiki-history-why-important