Earth Day-April 22

 

Today, we celebrate our host, the Earth. Many activities are planned worldwide, in person, and online. Today’s Google Doodle reminds us of climate change: Space.com expands on the illustration.


Chief Seattle of NW Washington state, a leader of Suquamish and Duwamish nations, made a famous speech to Governor Stevens in 1854, purportedly an environmental treatise. Multiple versions of his talk exist, starting with a translated transcription; the subsequent transliterations may veer widely from the original.


Rachel Carson’s concern about pollution and its effects on the Earth, expressed in her 1962 book Silent Spring, heralded the clarion call for change and helped launch the environmental movement.

US Senator Gaylord Nelson put out a call to action in 1969 in response to the massive Santa Barbara, CA, oil spill. Over 20 million Americans demonstrated for increased environmental protections on the first Earth Day in 1970, organized by Denis Hayes.


Shortly thereafter, on December 2, 1970, President Richard Nixon issued an executive order forming the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA subsequently lobbied for the banning of DDT and lead in gasoline, and a promoted a decade of environmental legislation.


Hayes took Earth Day global in 1990, spreading the action to 141 countries and over 200 million people. This event boosted recycling and was the forerunner for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The following decade, 2000, saw truly international activism encompassing hundreds of millions in over 184 nations.


In 2010, the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, about one billion people and 200,000 partners held climate rallies. The Paris Climate Agreement, a climate accord, was signed by 175 countries on Earth Day 2016.

Due to COVID-19, the 50th Anniversary Earth Day event went online for the largest online mass mobilization, a digital action.


This year’s theme is Planet vs. Plastics. Again, numerous events are planned to raise social consciousness of the threats our planet faces and what we can do on a global, national, local, and personal basis.


Did you participate in any Earth Day events, or have you taken any personal initiatives to do your part to protect Mother Earth?

You can follow the Author on her Website or X (formerly Twitter).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Earth Rotation Day

Image
Today, we think about the Earth’s movement:  rotation  means to turn, and  revolution  to go around. It wasn't always evident that these motions occurred. Ptolemy postulated that the Earth was the center of the Universe and that the Sun revolved around our planet. Copernicus performed experiments that showed the opposite was true and published his results in 1543, months before his death. The printer added disclosures regarding the validity of the statements and suggested the information only aided astronomers. His book was banned by the Catholic church as heresy in 1616. In 1632, Galileo agreed with the Heliocentric Model aided by the use of his telescope. He, too, was accused of heresy and placed under house arrest for the remainder of his life. It was not until 1758 that the Catholic Church decided it was not heretical to say the Earth rotates around the Sun. Leon Foucault proved the theory of rotation with his famous pendulum experiment. You can view the Pendulum in the Paris P
Read more

National Puzzle Day

Image
Doing a jigsaw puzzle engages both sides of the brain, which improves cognitive function, problem-solving, number skills, and memory. Puzzles have existed for centuries, beginning with labyrinth drawing puzzles in Ancient Egypt. In 1767, mapmaker John Spilsbury created the first jigsaw puzzle as a tool to teach geography. There was a full-blown puzzle mania in the US in 1908. Later, during the Great Depression, puzzles reached peak popularity, with 10 million sold per week. People made puzzles to sell; libraries and drugstores would rent puzzles by the day. Another entertaining idea was the “Jig of the Week” sold on Wednesdays at newsstands: friends would challenge each other over who could solve the week’s puzzle first. A second jigsaw puzzle boom occurred in 2020 during the COVID-19 epidemic as a solo pastime during long periods of solitude. Do you enjoy putting together jigsaw puzzles? Do you assemble the pieces alone or as a group project? You can follow the Author on her  Website
Read more

The Grandest Fir

Image
Following our family tradition, we traveled to a  local Christmas tree farm  the day after Thanksgiving. We arrived shortly after opening time and were able to promptly board the trolley to ride up the hill to the area of the farm being utilized for harvest this season. This particular business is an excellent caretaker of their trees, allowing harvest from only one section at a time and promptly replanting in the spring. Frosty’s system is finely organized: you choose a tree, place your tree pole green end up, and a tree cutter is at your side within minutes. The rest of the process is effortless: a ride back downhill, this time on a tractor-drawn trailer with hay bale seats, to the main building to pay, then well-marked signage to the pickup area. Meanwhile, the tree was bagged up on the hillside, delivered car-side, and secured to the roof. Unfortunately, the tree farm staff did not accompany us home to assist with unloading, carrying up a flight of entry stairs, across the great ro
Read more