Ever wonder where Earth Day came from? Me too.
Well, apparently it all began back in 1969 in Seattle. The Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, announced at a conference there that in the Spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment.
”The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become … We have to address the population issue. The United Kingdom, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it’s phony to say ‘I’m for the environment but not for limiting immigration.’”
Gaylord recalls, “It was a gamble. But it worked.”
About 20 million people organized on the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Rallies and demonstrations from coast to coast were organized and people showed their support.
By 1990 it had turned into a world event, with 200 million people participation from 141 countries. Apparently, by the year 2000, an estimated 1 billion people participated worldwide.
While I think these numbers are a bit ridiculous and pulled from thin air, the growth of the movement is definitely viewable. I had never heard of Earth Day as a little kid, but by middle school, high school, and college it became more and more apparent of what was going on.
I wish everyone a great Earth Day. Here is the Earth Day symbol, which I can’t say I’ve ever seen before.
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