@1tm122n22m Atma Unum
🌍💚 Earth Day reminds us to protect our planet and promote sustainability! Let’s unite for a healthier future and celebrate our home! 🌱✨ #EarthDay #Sustainability #ProtectOurPlanet #GoGreen https://wp.me/p3JLEZ-8ow
Earth Day, officially International Mother Earth Day, is a day celebrated in many countries on April 22 of each year. This day is dedicated to raise awareness of the problems of overpopulation, pollution, biodiversity conservation, global warming and other environmental concerns to protect the Earth. It is a day to pay tribute and recognize the Earth as our home, as expressed by different cultures throughout history, demonstrating the interdependence between its many ecosystems and the living beings that inhabit it.
International Mother Earth Day was established in 2009, by the United Nations General Assembly under Resolution A/RES/63/278. The Resolution was introduced by Bolivia and endorsed by over 50 member states. It recognizes that “the Earth and its ecosystems are our home” and that “it is necessary to promote harmony with nature and the Earth.” The term Mother Earth is used because it “reflects the interdependence that exists among human beings, other living species and the planet we all inhabit”. It is decided to designate April 22 as International Mother Earth Day.
General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann welcomed the creation of International Mother Earth Day, saying: “International Mother Earth Day promotes a view of the Earth as the entity that sustains all living things found in nature. Inclusiveness is at the heart of International Mother Earth Day; fostering shared responsibilities to rebuild our troubled relationship with nature is a cause that is uniting people around the world.
History
In 1968, Morton Hilbert and the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, where a conference was held for students to listen to scientists discuss the effects of environmental degradation on human health. This was the first precursor to Earth Day. Over the next two years, Hilbert and his students worked to plan the first Earth Day.[5] Other efforts such as the Survival Project, one of the earliest educational events for environmental awareness, took place at Northwestern University on January 23, 1970. This was the first of several events held on university campuses across the United States. Another founder was Ira Einhorn. Additionally, Ralph Nader began speaking about the importance of ecology in 1970.
The first Earth Day event took place on April 22, 1970, initiated by Senator and environmental activist Gaylord Nelson to advocate for the creation of an environmental agency. This event saw participation from two thousand universities, ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities. The social pressure yielded results, and the United States government established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a series of laws aimed at protecting the environment.
In 1972, the first international conference on the environment was held: the Stockholm Earth Summit, whose objective was to raise awareness among world leaders about the magnitude of environmental problems.
Origin of the term
Julien Koenig stopped by the national offices and volunteered to help. Koenig was a Madison Avenue giant. His campaign for Volkswagen, “Think Small,” was later cited by Advertising Age as the “greatest advertising campaign of the 20th century.
Denis Hayes was the national coordinator looking for the name of the celebration. He asked if Koening had any ideas. Then, he suggested “Ecology Day”, “Environment Day”, “Earth Day” and “E Day”. Also, said that his favorite was Earth Day – in part because April 22 happened to be his birthday, and “birthday” rhymes with “Earth Day. Hayes agreed, and Koening offered to prepare a fully refined ad. It was published in a full page in the Sunday New York Times opinion section. The ad was a huge success. Overnight, “Earth Day” became the almost-universally-used name for the upcoming event. The ad generated more than enough revenue to repay its cost, and thousands of potential organizers sent in their names and addresses along with their checks. In future months, magazines and alternative newspapers ran the ad for free, generating still more names and more financial support. The national office started using Environmental Action, rather than Environmental Teach-in, on its letterhead and publications to promote Earth Day.
Since April 22, 1970
Gaylord Nelson chose the date to maximize participation at the universities, as he considered it a meeting of teachers and students. He determined that the week of April 19–26 was the best bet, as it did not coincide with exams or spring break. Furthermore, this date did not conflict with religious observances such as Easter or Passover, and it was late enough in the Northern Hemisphere spring to allow decent weather. More students would prefer to be in class, and there would be less competition from other midweek events—so he chose April 22. The day also coincided with the anniversary of the birth of John Muir, the noted conservationist.
Unbeknownst to Nelson, April 22, 1970, was coincidentally the 100th anniversary of Lenin’s birth, when the Gregorian calendar was converted, which was adopted by the Russians until 1918. Time magazine reported that many did not think the date was a coincidence, but a clue that the event was a “communist hoax,” and quoted a member of the Daughters of Liberty as saying: of the American Revolution , saying: “subversive elements plan to have American children live in an environment that is good for them”. John Edgar Hoover , director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, may have created the intrigue of the Lenin connection, since the FBI was presumed to have been conducting surveillance of the 1970 demonstrations. The idea that the date was chosen to celebrate Lenin’s centennial still persists in some quarters.
Controversy with other celebrations
World Wildlife Day
March 3 is World Wildlife Day, celebrated since 2013 to raise awareness of the importance of conserving wildlife and biodiversity. People depend on wildlife and biodiversity for food, fuel, medicine, housing, and clothing. The date chosen marks the anniversary of the adoption in 1973 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which plays a key role in protecting species from international trade.
The UN adopts this celebration to reaffirm the importance of the world’s flora and fauna. It focuses on the conservation of nature, as well as reiterating its social value and contribution to the environment, and ensuring that no species is exploited to the point of extinction. The celebration of Earth Day is more global, as its concern reflects the interests of the planet.
“World Wildlife Day and Earth Day remind us of the urgent need to intensify the fight against crime against wildlife, the planet, and even more so against humans, as it has far-reaching economic, environmental, health, and social repercussions.”
March Equinox
The March equinox, occurs around March 20th, to mark the exact moment of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere and astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. An equinox is, in astronomy, the point in time (not a full day) when the Sun is directly overhead the Earth’s equator. It occurs around March 20 and September 23 of each year. In most cultures, the equinoxes and solstices mark the beginning or end of the seasons.
World Environment Day
On December 15, 1972, the UN General Assembly, in resolution 2994 adopted at its 27th session, designated June 5 as World Environment Day, to commemorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment, raising public awareness of the need to improve and preserve the environment.
World Environment Day is commemorated annually in more than 100 countries. It inspires political and community activities aimed at renewing their commitment to environmental protection. The activities aim to raise awareness of environmental issues, empowering individuals to be active participants in sustainable, equitable, and equitable development, with the goal of ensuring a more prosperous future for humanity. This includes a wide variety of activities, ranging from street parades, bicycle rides, eco-concerts, tree planting, recycling and cleanup campaigns, seminars, roundtable discussions, and even the signing or ratification of international conventions. Details of the activities planned to commemorate this day are published, and information is provided on what has been done around the world to celebrate it.
Timeline of Earth Day Topics
- 2009 : The Green Generation
- 2010: Mother Earth – Our only home is under pressure
- 2011: Clear the air
- 2012: Mobilize the Earth
- 2013: Faces of Climate Change
- 2014 : Green Cities
- 2015: It’s ours turn to lead
- 2016: Trees for the Earth
- 2017: Environmental and climate literacy
- 2018: End plastic pollution
- 2019: Protect our species
- 2020: Climate Action
- 2021: Restore Our Earth
- 2022: Invest in Our Planet
- 2023: Invest in Our Planet
- 2024: Planet vs. Plastics
- 2025: Our Power, Our Planet
Earth Day 2025 Call for Action
On the website of Earthday we find this briefing:
“For 55 years, Earth Day has led the world in raising awareness and taking action on critically important environmental issues. We advocate for the health of the planet, for our air, oceans, soil, eco-systems, wildlife, and human health.
On April 22nd, 2025, Earth Day will turn 55, with 192 countries and over one billion people around the globe expected to participate. This demonstrates how the diverse Earth Day movement remains as dedicated today as it was back in 1970 to bringing everyone together for a better future.
Grassroots people-power has always been at the heart of Earth Day and it is the catalyst for paradigm-shifting change because when individuals unite with a common purpose, they can overcome even the most entrenched systems and industries.
As we approach this milestone, we celebrate a transformative reality: we already possess the solutions we need to create clean, inexpensive, and unlimited energy for the entire planet through renewable solar, wind and other technologies.
This Earth Day 2025, let us commit to harnessing renewable energy to build a healthy, sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for us all, let us commit to Renewable Energy Now.”
Earth Anthem
Our cosmic oasis, cosmic blue pearl
the most beautiful planet in the universe
all the continents and all the oceans
united we stand as flora and fauna
united we stand as species of one earth
diverse cultures, beliefs and ways
we are humans, Earth is our home
all the people and all the nations
all for one, one for all
united we unfurl the blue marble flag.Abhay K, Indian poet and diplomat
References:
- Gaylord Nelson; Susan Campbell; Paul R. Wozniak (2002). Beyond Earth Day: fulfilling the promise. Univ of Wisconsin Press
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