What is the History of Earth Day?

On April 22, millions of people across the U.S. and around the world will celebrate one of our favorite holidays—Earth Day!

Since 1970, Earth Day has been a day to show appreciation for our planet and focus more on how we can help protect it.

History of Earth Day

In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin organized a nationwide "teach-in" to raise awareness for environmental issues such as air and water pollution. Organizers strategically planned the event for late April so that college students would still be in school and spring weather would be here in most of the country. On April 22, 1970, the very first Earth Day, more than 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 public schools, and 20 million citizens participated—nearly 10 percent of the U.S. population at the time! The first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency later that year, as well as the passage of the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act.

Earth Day Today

The Earth Day movement has come so far since the first Earth Day more than 50 years ago. On the 20th Earth Day in 1990, more than 200 million people in 141 countries joined together to celebrate our planet. Now, 51 years since the first Earth Day, an estimated 1 billion people in more than 190 countries mobilize every April 22 to take action in honor of Earth Day—a holiday that has become one of the largest secular observances in the world. The global environmental movement is also bigger than ever, as climate activists around the world are fighting for our planet and mobilizing millions of people to take action through demonstrations such as the weekly Fridays for Future strikes and the Global Climate Strike in 2019.

How You Can Celebrate Earth Day This Year

While this year’s Earth Day might look different from previous years, there are still plenty of great ways we can celebrate our planet this April 22. Check out our blog post How You Celebrate Earth Day From Home for ideas on how you can celebrate from the safety and comfort of your own home on April 22. You can also celebrate Earth Day every day by committing to some of our Earth Day Resolutions. And if you’re looking for more reasons to celebrate, check out our blog post 14 Climate Victories to Celebrate for some feel-good environmental victories.

CleanChoice Energy Celebrates Earth Day 

This Earth Day, our CleanChoice team is celebrating with the mantra, “Simple Actions Lead to Big Impacts.”

At CleanChoice Energy, we celebrate Earth Day every day by helping as many people as possible sign up for 100% clean, pollution-free energy. This April, we want to help others expand their own environmental impact through simple actions so we can create a significant impact together.

Join us in our Earth Day celebration and our mission to celebrate Earth Day every day!