How to Celebrate Earth Day

I often like to treat Earth Day as my environmentally conscious New Year’s Day. Every year on Earth Day, I evaluate the aspects of my life where I am being excessively wasteful, and I do my best to turn over a new leaf from that day forward. Below are some new ideas to incorporate into your Earth Day resolutions this year!

The Rise of Earth Day

Kennedy and Nelson during the 1963 national conservation tour ⁱIn September 1963, after being persuaded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, President John F. Kennedy went on a five-day, eleven-state national tour to promote environmental conservation issues . While the tour was not very successful in sparking public interest, Nelson states, “It was the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.”¹ Several years later, in 1969, Senator Nelson became inspired by the anti-Vietnam War “teach-ins” occurring on college campuses throughout the United States. He announced at a conference in Seattle in September 1969 that there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration in April 1970 to raise awareness for the environment.

A few months before the event, the New York Times published an article commenting on the enthusiasm surrounding the idea: “Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation’s campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam.”²  While environmental issues had not grabbed public attention in 1963, by 1970 they had.  Senator Nelson commented, “We had neither the time nor the resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.”³

Ways to Celebrate Earth Day
Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22 this year—2015.  Since some of these activities are more feasible for the weekend when there is more free time, take the whole week to try some of these ideas out! 

1. Go on a hike.
2. Start a vegetable garden.
3. Walk or ride your bike.
4. Visit your local farmer’s market.
5. Turn off your lights and unplug your electronics.
6. Shorter showers.
7. Paying bills online.
8. Update your light bulbs.
9. Compost.
10. Volunteer.

Have a fun and proactive Earth Day 2015!