The original Earth Day in 1970 was the brainchild of US Senator Gaylord Nelson – he settled on the name Earth Day because is sounded just like “birthday”. His original objective, which he achieved resoundingly, “was to have a massive US-wide demonstration to show the politicians [of the US] that there was a genuine grass roots, deeply felt interest in the issue [of the environment] that crosses all political lines and all age groups”.
It was a terrible oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, August 1969, that sparked Nelson to search for something that could be done “to bring public opinion to bear on the lethargic political community”. He modelled his environmental activism idea on the student “teach-ins” that had been fundamental to bringing the Vietnam War to the public forefront in the preceding years.
Addressing the Earth Day 1970 audience in Denver, Nelson proclaimed, "Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human being and all living creatures."
Nelson vowed to fight for the environment and to awaken political eyes to the US’ dire ecological fate. He believed that “we cannot afford the price of not cleaning up the environment.” He later wrote that “there is no doubt there is a high profit to be made from investments in a clean environment and a very high cost to be paid for a dirty environment… because if the polluters can convince the public that it costs too much to clean up the air and water, they will succeed in passing this problem on to the next generation and the one after it without end.”
A Billion Acts of Green
It seems that 40 years on there is still a need to continue Nelson’s fight. The Earth Day Network took up this challenge in the interceding years and still continues to promote environmental action and education worldwide. It grew from the original Earth Day organisers and is founded on the belief that everyone hasa moral right to a healthy, sustainable environment. The network has a global reach of more than 20,000 partners and organisations in 190 countries. This year more than 1 billion people will participate in Earth Day activities, making it the largest non-religious public event in the world.
So how will you be celebrating Earth Day? Even if you work full time there are a billion acts of green that people all over the world are doing that you can use as inspiration. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
1. Start composting – according to the environment protection authority Victorians currently send 56% of waste to landfill and recycle 44%. Buying a compost bin for your fruit and veggie scraps will help reduce that figure and save you money with the Victorian Government recently announcing a proposal to increase municipal and industrial waste landfill levies, with it coming into effect from 1 July 2010.
2. Go paper free – read from your computer and leave your printouts for another day. You may even find that the things you were going to print out didn’t need to be.
3. Plant a tree – Did you know that by planting a large tree that creates shade, you could reduce heating and cooling costs annually by up to 40 percent. A total of 3 acts of green in one.
4. Take the 100-mile food challenge - Eating locally is one of the most important and easiest things you can do for eliminating the drain of food and agriculture on the environment. Fossil fuels are consumed in vast quantities daily by trucks delivering food products to market.
5. Spend an hour outside – go for a walk, do some weeding or sit in quiet contemplation take some deep breaths and give thanks for all the earth provides for you.
6. Stop idling – the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency crunched the numbers for the hypothetical situation of each Canadian driver idling their engine for 5 minutes fewer each day. Over a year, that reduced idling would save Canadian drivers CAD$646 million, and stop 1.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gases from escaping into the atmosphere. When you idle a car, you get zero miles per gallon, lots of pollution, and a hole in your wallet.
You can find hundreds more ideas on how to celebrate on the Earth Day Network site and next year, do your part to raise more awareness of the environmental issues we all face by building Earth Day into your business with a promotional tie in and let more people know how you are making a difference for all our lives.
Don’t forget to make your Earth friendly act of kindness – however small – count towards the billion acts of green for Earth Day by pledging your support at www.earthday.org.
And why not leave a comment here to share how you celebrated?
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The original Earth Day in 1970 was the brainchild of US Senator Gaylord Nelson – he settled on the name Earth Day because is sounded just like “birthday”. His original objective, which he achieved resoundingly, “was to have a massive US-wide demonstration to show the politicians [of the US] that there was a genuine grass roots, deeply felt interest in the 
