Strong and Urgent: Planet vs. Plastic: The 2024 Earth Day Challenge

A Bipartisan Birth: Earth Day's Surprising Origins

This year marks the 55th anniversary of Earth Day, a global movement for environmental awareness.

Amazingly, this event was conceived in 1970 by an unlikely pair: Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin and Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey of California.

A Time of Change, A Time of Similarities

While the anti-Vietnam War movement played a role in Earth Day's launch, the website also highlights surprising parallels between 1970 and today.

Back then, concerns included oil spills, pollution, and endangered wildlife. These issues, alongside climate change and plastic pollution, remain pressing matters.

From Teach-In to Transformation: The Power of Activism

Inspired by student activism, Senator Nelson aimed to channel that energy towards environmental issues.

He partnered with Congressman McCloskey and young activist Denis Hayes to organize a nationwide teach-in on college campuses.

Held on April 22nd, 1970, the event mobilized 20 million Americans – 10% of the population at the time.

This outpouring of public concern spurred significant change. By year's end, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created, alongside landmark environmental laws like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts.