Earth Day - wikipedia Earth Day Not to be confused with the electricity switch off called Earth Hour, celebrated in March. Earth Day Unofficial Earth Day Flag created by John McConnell. The Ecology Flag was also used. Significance support for environmental protection Begins 1970 Date April 22 Next time 22 April 2019 ( 2019 - 04 - 22 ) Frequency annual Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement was signed by the United States, China, and some 120 other countries. This signing satisfied a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature 's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach - in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces. In 2017, the March for Science occurred on Earth Day ( April 22, 2017 ) and was followed by the People 's Climate Mobilization ( April 29, 2017 ). Contents 1 Santa Barbara Oil Blowout 1969 2 Santa Barbara 's Environmental Rights Day 1970 3 Earth Day 1970 3.1 New York City 3.2 Philadelphia 4 Earth Day 1990 5 Earth Day 2000 6 Subsequent Earth Day events 7 The Earth Day name 8 Earth Day Canada 9 History of the Equinox Earth Day ( March 20 ) 10 April 22 observances 10.1 Growing eco-activism before Earth Day 1970 10.2 Significance of April 22 11 Earth Day songs 12 See also 13 References 14 External links Santa Barbara oil blowout 1969 Main article : 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill On January 28, 1969, a well drilled by Union Oil Platform A off the coast of Santa Barbara, California, blew out. More than three million gallons of oil spewed, killing over 10,000 seabirds, dolphins, seals, and sea lions. As a reaction to this natural disaster, activists were mobilized to create environmental regulation, environmental education, and Earth Day. Among the proponents of Earth Day were the people in the front lines of fighting this disaster, Selma Rubin, Marc McGinnes, and Bud Bottoms, founder of Get Oil Out. According to Kate Wheeling, Denis Hayes told her that Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin saw the Santa Barbara Channel 800 square - mile oil slick from an airplane, which gave him the impetus to organize Earth Day. Santa Barbara 's environmental Rights Day 1970 On the first anniversary of the oil blowout, January 28, 1970, Environmental Rights Day is celebrated, where the Declaration of Environmental Rights is read. It had been written by Rod Nash during a boat trip across the Santa Barbara Channel while carrying a copy of Thomas Jefferson 's Declaration of Independence. The organizers of Environmental Rights Day, led by Marc McGinnes, had been working closely over a period of several months with Congressman Pete McCloskey ( R - CA ) to consult on the creation of the National Environmental Policy Act, the first of many new environmental protection laws sparked by the national outcry about the blowout / oil spill and on the Declaration of Environmental Rights. Both McCloskey ( Earth Day co-chair with Senator Gaylord Nelson ) and Earth Day organizer Denis Hayes, along with Senator Alan Cranston, Paul Ehrlich, David Brower and other prominent leaders, endorsed the Declaration and spoke about it at the Environmental Rights Day conference. According to Francis Sarguis, `` the conference was sort of like the baptism for the movement. '' Nash, Garrett Hardin, McGinnes and others went on to develop the first undergraduate Environmental Studies program of its kind at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Earth Day 1970 President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon plant a tree on the White House South Lawn to recognize the first Earth Day. The first Earth Day celebrations took place in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it `` brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform. '' It now is observed in 192 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit Earth Day Network, chaired by the first Earth Day 1970 organizer Denis Hayes, according to whom Earth Day is now `` the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year. '' Walt Kelly created an anti-pollution poster featuring his comic strip character Pogo with the quotation `` We have met the enemy and he is us '' to promote the 1970 Earth Day. Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action to change human behavior and provoke policy changes. New York city In the winter of 1969 -- 1970, a group of students met at Columbia University to hear Denis Hayes talk about his plans for Earth Day. Among the group were Fred Kent, Pete Grannis, and Kristin and William Hubbard. This group agreed to head up the New York City activities within the national movement. Fred Kent took the lead in renting an office and recruiting volunteers. `` The big break came when Mayor Lindsay agreed to shut down Fifth Avenue for the event. A giant cheer went up in the office on that day, '' according to Kristin Hubbard ( now Kristin Alexandre ). ' From that time on we used Mayor Lindsay 's offices and even his staff. I was Speaker Coordinator but had tremendous help from Lindsay staffer Judith Crichton. '' U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie speaking at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia on Earth Day, 1970 In addition to shutting down Fifth Avenue, Mayor John Lindsay made Central Park available for Earth Day. In Union Square, New York Times estimated crowds of up to 20,000 people at any given time and, perhaps, as many as over 100,000 over the course of the day. Since Manhattan was also the home of NBC, CBS, ABC, The New York Times, Time, and Newsweek, it provided the best possible anchor for national coverage from their reporters throughout the country. Philadelphia U.S. Senator Edmund Muskie was the keynote speaker on Earth Day in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia. Other notable attendees included consumer protection activist and presidential candidate Ralph Nader ; Landscape Architect Ian McHarg ; Nobel prize - winning Harvard Biochemist, George Wald ; U.S. Senate Minority Leader, Hugh Scott ; and poet, Allen Ginsberg. Earth Day 1990 Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day activities in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike the first Earth Day in 1970, this 20th Anniversary was waged with stronger marketing tools, greater access to television and radio, and multimillion - dollar budgets. The official logo of the Mount Everest Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb Two separate groups formed to sponsor Earth Day events in 1990 : The Earth Day 20 Foundation, assembled by Edward Furia ( Project Director of Earth Week in 1970 ), and Earth Day 1990, assembled by Denis Hayes ( National Coordinator for Earth Day 1970 ). Senator Gaylord Nelson, the original founder of Earth Day, was honorary chairman for both groups. The two did not combine forces over disagreements about leadership of combined organization and incompatible structures and strategies. Among the disagreements, key Earth Day 20 Foundation organizers were critical of Earth Day 1990 for including on their board Hewlett - Packard, a company that at the time was the second - biggest emitter of chlorofluorocarbons in Silicon Valley and refused to switch to alternative solvents. In terms of marketing, Earth Day 20 had a grassroots approach to organizing and relied largely on locally based groups like the National Toxics Campaign, a Boston - based coalition of 1,000 local groups concerned with industrial pollution. Earth Day 1990 employed strategies including focus group testing, direct mail fund raising, and email marketing. The Earth Day 20 Foundation highlighted its April 22 activities in George, Washington, near the Columbia River with a live satellite phone call with members of the historic Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb who called from their base camp on Mount Everest to pledge their support for world peace and attention to environmental issues. The Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb was led by Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mt. Everest ( many years earlier ), and marked the first time in history that mountaineers from the United States, Soviet Union, and China had roped together to climb a mountain, let alone Mt. Everest. The group also collected more than two tons of trash ( transported down the mountain by support groups along the way ) that was left behind on Mount Everest from previous climbing expeditions. The master of ceremonies for the Columbia Gorge event was the TV star, John Ratzenberger, from `` Cheers '', and the headlining musician was the `` Father of Rock and Roll, '' Chuck Berry. Warner Bros. Records released an Earth Day - themed single in 1990 entitled `` Tomorrow 's World '', written by Kix Brooks ( who would later become one - half of Brooks & Dunn ) and Pam Tillis. The song featured vocals from Lynn Anderson, Butch Baker, Shane Barmby, Billy Hill, Suzy Bogguss, Kix Brooks, T. Graham Brown, The Burch Sisters, Holly Dunn, Foster & Lloyd, Vince Gill, William Lee Golden, Highway 101, Shelby Lynne, Johnny Rodriguez, Dan Seals, Les Taylor, Pam Tillis, Mac Wiseman, and Kevin Welch. It charted at number 74 on the Hot Country Songs chart dated May 5, 1990. Earth Day 2000 Earth Day 2000 combined the ambitious spirit of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. This was the first year that Earth Day used the Internet as its principal organizing tool, and it proved invaluable nationally and internationally. Kelly Evans, a professional political organizer, served as executive director of the 2000 campaign. The event ultimately enlisted more than 5,000 environmental groups outside the United States, reaching hundreds of millions of people in a record 183 countries. Leonardo DiCaprio was the official host for the event, and about 400,000 participants stood in the cold rain during the course of the day. Subsequent Earth Day events Earth Day 2007 at San Diego City College in San Diego, California To turn Earth Day into a sustainable annual event rather than one that occurred every 10 years, Nelson and Bruce Anderson, New Hampshire 's lead organizers in 1990, formed Earth Day USA. Building on the momentum created by thousands of community organizers around the world, Earth Day USA coordinated the next five Earth Day celebrations through 1995, including the launch of EarthDay.org. Following the 25th Anniversary in 1995, the coordination baton was handed to Earth Day Network. As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focusing on global warming and pushing for clean energy. The April 22 Earth Day in 2000 combined the big - picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. For 2000, Earth Day had the internet to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 came around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Events varied : A talking drum chain traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., USA. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with many people participating in the activities in thousands of places including Kiev, Ukraine ; Caracas, Venezuela ; Tuvalu ; Manila, Philippines ; Togo ; Madrid, Spain ; London ; and New York. For Earth Day 2017, the Earth Day Network created four toolkits to aid organizations wanting to hold teach - ins to celebrate the theme `` Environmental and Climate Literacy. '' The four toolkits are : Earth Day Action Toolkit : Educating and Activating Communities for Change Environmental Teach - in Toolkit Global Day of Conversation Toolkit for Local Governments MobilizeU : Campus Teach - in Toolkit 2017 also saw the Earth Day Network co-organize the March for Science rally and teach - in at the National Mall in Washington D.C. The Earth Day name According to Nelson, the moniker `` Earth Day '' was `` an obvious and logical name '' suggested by a lot of other people in the fall of 1969, including, he writes, both `` a friend of mine who had been in the field of public relations '' and `` a New York advertising executive, '' Julian Koenig. Koenig, who had been on Nelson 's organizing committee in 1969, has said that the idea came to him by the coincidence of his birthday with the day selected, April 22 ; `` Earth Day '' rhyming with `` birthday, '' the connection seemed natural. Other names circulated during preparations -- Nelson himself continued to call it the National Environment Teach - In, but national coordinator Denis Hayes used the term Earth Day in his communications and press coverage of the event was `` practically unanimous '' in its use of `` Earth Day, '' so the name stuck. The introduction of the name `` Earth Day '' was also claimed by John McConnell ( see `` Equinox Earth Day, '' below ). Earth Day Canada Paul Tinari officially launched the first Canadian Earth Day on September 11, 1980 -- included are Flora MacDonald MP, Ken Keyes and Dr. Ronald Watts The first Canadian Earth Day was held on Thursday, September 11, 1980, and was organized by Paul D. Tinari, then a graduate student in Engineering Physics / Solar Engineering at Queen 's University. Flora MacDonald, then MP for Kingston and the Islands and former Canadian Secretary of State for External Affairs, officially opened Earth Day Week on September 6, 1980 with a ceremonial tree planting and encouraged MPs and MPPs across the country to declare a cross-Canada annual Earth Day. The principal activities taking place on the first Earth Day included educational lectures given by experts in various environmental fields, garbage and litter pick - up by students along city roads and highways as well as tree plantings to replace the trees killed by Dutch Elm Disease. History of the equinox Earth Day ( March 20 ) The equinoctial Earth Day is celebrated on the March equinox ( around March 20 ) to mark the precise moment of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and of astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. An equinox in astronomy is that point in time ( not a whole day ) when the Sun is directly above the Earth 's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year. In most cultures, the equinoxes and solstices are considered to start or separate the seasons. John McConnell first introduced the idea of a global holiday called `` Earth Day '' at the 1969 UNESCO Conference on the Environment. The first Earth Day proclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21, 1970. Celebrations were held in various cities, such as San Francisco and in Davis, California with a multi-day street party. UN Secretary - General U Thant supported McConnell 's global initiative to celebrate this annual event ; and on February 26, 1971, he signed a proclamation to that effect, saying : May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life. United Nations secretary - general Kurt Waldheim observed Earth Day with similar ceremonies on the March equinox in 1972, and the United Nations Earth Day ceremony has continued each year since on the day of the March equinox ( the United Nations also works with organizers of the April 22 global event ). Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, and in 1978 declared : `` Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space. Earth Day draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way -- which is also the most ancient way -- by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible, and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate. '' At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations. Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania, Tokyo, and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is organized by the Earth Society Foundation. Earth Day ringing the peace bell is celebrated around the world in many towns, ringing the Peace Bell in Vienna, Berlin, and elsewhere. A memorable event took place at the UN in Geneva, celebrating a Minute for Peace ringing the Japanese Shinagawa Peace Bell with the help of the Geneva Friendship Association and the Global Youth Foundation, directly after in deep mourning about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe 10 days before. Beside the Spring Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere, the observance of the Spring Equinox for the Southern Hemisphere in September is of equal importance. The International Day of Peace is celebrated on September 21, and can thus be considered to accord with the original intentions of John McConnell, U Thant and others. April 22 observances Growing eco-activism before Earth Day 1970 In 1968, Morton Hilbert and the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, an environmental conference for students to hear from scientists about the effects of environmental degradation on human health. This was the beginning of Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and students worked to plan the first Earth Day. In April 1970 -- along with a federal proclamation from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson -- the first Earth Day was held. Project Survival, an early environmentalism - awareness education event, was held at Northwestern University on January 23, 1970. This was the first of several events held at university campuses across the United States in the lead - up to the first Earth Day. Also, Ralph Nader began talking about the importance of ecology in 1970. The 1960s had been a very dynamic period for ecology in the US. Pre-1960 grassroots activism against DDT in Nassau County, New York, and widespread opposition to open - air nuclear weapons tests with their global nuclear fallout, had inspired Rachel Carson to write her influential bestseller, Silent Spring ( 1962 ). Significance of April 22 Global selfie -- Earth Day, April 22, 2014. Nelson chose the date in order to maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an `` environmental teach - in ''. He determined the week of April 19 -- 25 was the best bet as it did not fall during exams or spring breaks. Moreover, it did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition with other mid-week events -- so he chose Wednesday, April 22. The day also fell after the anniversary of the birth of noted conservationist John Muir. The National Park Service, John Muir National Historic Site, has a celebration every year on or around Earth Day ( April 21, 22 or 23 ), called Birthday - Earth Day, in recognition of Earth Day and John Muir 's contribution to the collective consciousness of environmentalism and conservation. Unbeknownst to Nelson, April 22, 1970, was coincidentally the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin, when translated to the Gregorian calendar ( which the Soviets adopted in 1918 ). Time reported that some suspected the date was not a coincidence, but a clue that the event was `` a Communist trick '', and quoted a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution as saying, `` subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them. '' J. Edgar Hoover, director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, may have found the Lenin connection intriguing ; it was alleged the FBI conducted surveillance at the 1970 demonstrations. The idea that the date was chosen to celebrate Lenin 's centenary still persists in some quarters, an idea borne out by the similarity with the subbotnik instituted by Lenin in 1920 as days on which people would have to do community service, which typically consisted in removing rubbish from public property and collecting recyclable material. Subbotniks were also imposed on other countries within the compass of Soviet power, including Eastern Europe, and at the height of its power the Soviet Union established a nationwide subbotnik to be celebrated on Lenin 's birthday, April 22, which had been proclaimed a national holiday celebrating communism by Nikita Khrushchev in 1955. Earth Day songs See also : Earth Anthem There are many songs that are performed on Earth Day, that generally fall into two categories : popular songs by contemporary artists not specific to Earth Day that are under copyright or new lyrics adapted to children 's songs. See also Environment portal March for Science ( April 22, 2017 ) Air pollution Arbor Day Net capacity factor Carbon footprint Copenhagen Accord Earth Charter Earth Hour Expo ' 74 : `` Celebrating Tomorrow 's Fresh New Environment '' International Day of Forests International Mother Earth Day Live Earth Pale Blue Dot World Environment Day by the United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) World Water Day Environmental politics IPCC Fifth Assessment Report Paris Agreement Politics of global warming Under2MOU References Jump up ^ `` Earth Day International ''. Archived from the original on March 15, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Earth Day Network ''. Earthday.net. Retrieved April 22, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Here 's Why the U.S. and China Are Signing the Historic Paris Agreement on Earth Day ''. whitehouse.gov. Jump up ^ `` Paris Climate Treaty : ' Significant step ' as US and China agree to sign ''. BBC News. 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CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter ( link ) Jump up ^ Kate Wheeling & Max Ufberg ( April 18, 2017 ). `` ' The Ocean Is Boiling ' : The Complete Oral History of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill ''. Pacific Standard. Retrieved May 9, 2018. CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter ( link ) Jump up ^ McGinnes, J. Marc ( May 2, 2014 ). `` Environmental Law Series Links Campus and Community in Santa Barbara ''. The Journal of Environmental Education. Retrieved May 24, 2018. Jump up ^ Jack Lewis ( November 1985 ). `` The Birth of EPA ''. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from the original on September 22, 2006. Jump up ^ `` About Earth Day Network ''. Archived from the original on April 23, 2007. Retrieved April 15, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Earth Day : The History of A Movement ''. Earth Day Network. Retrieved August 16, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Millions Observe Earth Day with a Variety of Activities Across the Country ''. New York Times : 30. April 23, 1970 -- via ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Jump up ^ `` The Spirit of the First Earth Day ''. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. January -- February 1990. Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` The Business of Earth Day ''. Nytimes.com. November 12, 1989. Retrieved April 22, 2012. ^ Jump up to : `` Ellensburg Daily Record -- Google News Archive Search ''. Jump up ^ Hurst, Jack ( April 22, 1990 ). `` Earth calling... Help ! Cautious Nashville is starting to turn green ''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 15, 2013. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2008 ). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 424. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 177 - 2. ^ Jump up to : Gerth, Jeff ( April 23, 2000 ). `` Peaceful, Easy Feeling Imbues 30th Earth Day ''. The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Earth Day Network releases teach - in toolkits for Earth Day 2017 ''. Davis Enterprise. April 20, 2017. 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Jump up ^ https://www.nps.gov/jomu/planyourvisit/john-muir-birthday-earth-day-2016.htm Jump up ^ Gaylord Nelson ; Susan Campbell ; Paul R. Wozniak ( October 4, 2002 ). Beyond Earth Day : fulfilling the promise. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 7. ISBN 978 - 0 - 299 - 18040 - 9. Retrieved April 15, 2013. Jump up ^ `` A Memento Mori to the Earth ''. Time. May 4, 1970. Retrieved April 15, 2013. Jump up ^ Finney, John W. ( April 15, 1971 ). `` Muski says FBI spied at rallies on ' 70 Earth Day ''. The New York Times. p. 1. Jump up ^ `` Of Leo and Lenin : Happy Earth Day from the Religious Right ''. Church & State. 53 ( 5 ) : 20. May 2000. Jump up ^ Marriott, Alexander ( April 21, 2004 ). `` This Earth Day Celebrate Vladimir Lenin 's Birthday ! ''. Capitalism Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2007. External Links Look up earth day in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Wikimedia Commons has media related to Earth Day. Wikiquote has quotations related to : Environment Wikinews has related news : Earth Day 2008 marked in various ways Wikinews has related news : Earth Day 2009 celebrated around the globe Earth Day Earth Day Network -- Coordinating worldwide events for Earth Day United States Earth Day -- The U.S. government 's Earth Day site Earth Day Canada -- The Canadian Official Site for Earth Day Earth Day at The History Channel EPA Journal : Earth Day -- an entire journal dedicated to Earth Day, written in early 1990 Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day : The Making of the Modern Environmental Movement narrative account of the origins of Earth Day, Nelson 's political career, as well as online access to documents from the Wisconsin Historical Society 's Nelson Papers collection Equinoctial Earth Day Earth Society Foundation -- Official organization arranging annual equinox Earth Day celebration at the United Nations Holidays, observances, and celebrations in Algeria January New Year 's Day ( 1 ) Yennayer ( 12 ) February Valentine 's Day ( 14 ) Tafsut ( 28 ) March International Women 's Day ( 8 ) Victory Day ( 19 ) World Water Day ( 22 ) Maghrebi Blood Donation Day ( 30 ) Spring vacation ( 2 last weeks ) April April Fools ' Day ( 1 ) Knowledge Day ( 16 ) Berber Spring ( 20 ) Earth Day ( 22 ) Election Day ( Thursday ) May International Workers ' Day ( 1 ) World Press Freedom Day ( 3 ) Mother 's Day ( last Sunday ) June -- July -- August Summer vacation ( varies ) June Children 's Day ( 1 ) Father 's Day ( 21 ) July Independence Day ( 5 ) September International Day of Peace ( 21 ) October International Day of Non-Violence ( 2 ) Halloween ( 31 ) November Revolution Day ( 1 ) December Christmas Eve ( 24 ) Christmas ( 25 ) New Year 's Eve ( 31 ) Winter vacation ( 2 last weeks ) Varies ( year round ) Hijri New Year 's Day ( Muharram 1 ) Ashura ( Muharram 10 ) Mawlid ( Rabi ' al - Awwal 12 ) Ramadan ( Ramadan 1 ) Laylat al - Qadr ( Ramadan 27 ) Eid al - Fitr ( Shawwal 1 ) Day of Arafah ( Dhu al - Hijjah 9 ) Eid al - Adha ( Dhu al - Hijjah 10 ) Holi ( varies ) Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in Algeria, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also : Lists of holidays. Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States January New Year 's Day ( federal ) Martin Luther King Jr. Day ( federal ) Confederate Heroes Day ( TX ) Fred Korematsu Day ( CA, FL, HI, VA ) Idaho Human Rights Day ( ID ) Inauguration Day ( federal quadrennial, DC area ) Kansas Day ( KS ) Lee -- Jackson Day ( formerly Lee -- Jackson -- King Day ) ( VA ) Robert E. Lee Day ( FL ) Stephen Foster Memorial Day ( 36 ) The Eighth ( LA ) January -- February Super Bowl Sunday February American Heart Month Black History Month Washington 's Birthday / Presidents ' Day ( federal ) Valentine 's Day Georgia Day ( GA ) Groundhog Day Lincoln 's Birthday ( CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NJ, NY, WV ) National Girls and Women in Sports Day National Freedom Day ( 36 ) Primary Election Day ( WI ) Ronald Reagan Day ( CA ) Rosa Parks Day ( CA, MO ) Susan B. Anthony Day ( CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal ) February -- March Mardi Gras Ash Wednesday ( religious ) Courir de Mardi Gras ( religious ) Super Tuesday March Irish - American Heritage Month National Colon Cancer Awareness Month Women 's History Month St. Patrick 's Day ( religious ) Spring break ( week ) Casimir Pulaski Day ( IL ) Cesar Chavez Day ( CA, CO, TX, proposed federal ) Evacuation Day ( Suffolk County, MA ) Harriet Tubman Day ( NY ) Holi ( NY, religious ) Mardi Gras ( AL ( in two counties ), LA ) Maryland Day ( MD ) National Poison Prevention Week ( week ) Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day ( HI ) Saint Joseph 's Day ( religious ) Seward 's Day ( AK ) Texas Independence Day ( TX ) Town Meeting Day ( VT ) March -- April Easter ( religious ) Palm Sunday ( religious ) Passover ( religious ) Good Friday ( CT, NC, PR, religious ) Easter Monday ( religious ) April Confederate History Month 420 Day April Fools ' Day Arbor Day Confederate Memorial Day ( AL, MS ) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust ( week ) Earth Day Emancipation Day ( DC ) Thomas Jefferson 's Birthday ( AL ) Pascua Florida ( FL ) Patriots ' Day ( MA, ME ) San Jacinto Day ( TX ) Siblings Day Walpurgis Night ( religious ) May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month Memorial Day ( federal ) Mother 's Day ( 36 ) Cinco de Mayo Harvey Milk Day ( CA ) Law Day ( 36 ) Loyalty Day ( 36 ) Malcolm X Day ( CA, IL, proposed federal ) May Day Military Spouse Day National Day of Prayer ( 36 ) National Defense Transportation Day ( 36 ) National Maritime Day ( 36 ) Peace Officers Memorial Day ( 36 ) Truman Day ( MO ) June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Father 's Day ( 36 ) Bunker Hill Day ( Suffolk County, MA ) Carolina Day ( SC ) Emancipation Day In Texas / Juneteenth ( TX ) Flag Day ( 36, proposed federal ) Helen Keller Day ( PA ) Honor America Days ( 3 weeks ) Jefferson Davis Day ( AL, FL ) Kamehameha Day ( HI ) Odunde Festival ( Philadelphia, PA ) Senior Week ( week ) West Virginia Day ( WV ) July Independence Day ( federal ) Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea ( HI, unofficial ) Parents ' Day ( 36 ) Pioneer Day ( UT ) July -- August Summer vacation August American Family Day ( AZ ) Barack Obama Day ( IL ) Bennington Battle Day ( VT ) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day ( HI ) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day ( TX ) National Aviation Day ( 36 ) Service Reduction Day ( MD ) Victory Day ( RI ) Women 's Equality Day ( 36 ) September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Labor Day ( federal ) California Admission Day ( CA ) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day ( 36 ) Constitution Day ( 36 ) Constitution Week ( week ) Defenders Day ( MD ) Gold Star Mother 's Day ( 36 ) National Grandparents Day ( 36 ) National Payroll Week ( week ) Native American Day ( CA, TN, proposed federal ) Patriot Day ( 36 ) September -- October Hispanic Heritage Month Oktoberfest Rosh Hashanah ( religious ) Yom Kippur ( religious ) October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month Columbus Day ( federal ) Halloween Alaska Day ( AK ) Child Health Day ( 36 ) General Pulaski Memorial Day German - American Day Indigenous Peoples ' Day ( VT ) International Day of Non-Violence Leif Erikson Day ( 36 ) Missouri Day ( MO ) National School Lunch Week Native American Day ( SD ) Nevada Day ( NV ) Sweetest Day White Cane Safety Day ( 36 ) October -- November Diwali ( religious ) November Native American Indian Heritage Month Veterans Day ( federal ) Thanksgiving ( federal ) Day after Thanksgiving ( 24 ) Election Day ( CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, WV, proposed federal ) Family Day ( NV ) Hanukkah ( religious ) Lā Kūʻokoʻa ( HI, unofficial ) Native American Heritage Day ( MD, WA ) Barack Obama Day ( Perry County, AL ) December Christmas ( religious, federal ) Alabama Day ( AL ) Christmas Eve ( KY, NC, SC ) Day after Christmas ( KY, NC, SC, TX ) Festivus Hanukkah ( religious, week ) Indiana Day ( IN ) Kwanzaa ( religious, week ) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ( 36 ) New Year 's Eve Pan American Aviation Day ( 36 ) Rosa Parks Day ( OH, OR ) Wright Brothers Day ( 36 ) Varies ( year round ) Eid al - Adha ( religious ) Eid al - Fitr ( religious ) Ramadan ( religious, month ) Legend : ( federal ) = federal holidays, ( state ) = state holidays, ( religious ) = religious holidays, ( week ) = weeklong holidays, ( month ) = monthlong holidays, ( 36 ) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in the United States, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also : Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, public holidays in the United States, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Earth_Day&oldid=854429734 '' Categories : 1970 establishments in California April observances Counterculture of the 1960s Environmental awareness days History of environmentalism History of San Francisco International environmental organizations March observances Recurring events established in 1970 United Nations days Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Uses authors parameter Wikipedia pages semi-protected against vandalism Wikipedia indefinitely move - protected pages Use mdy dates from April 2018 Infobox holiday fixed day Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans অসমীয়া Asturianu Avañe'ẽ Azərbaycanca تۆرکجه বাংলা Bân - lâm - gú Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ भोजपुरी Български Bosanski Brezhoneg Català Чӑвашла Čeština Chavacano de Zamboanga Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ಕನ್ನಡ ქართული Kurdî Latina Latviešu Lietuvių Magyar मैथिली Македонски മലയാളം मराठी Bahasa Melayu Baso Minangkabau မြန်မာဘာသာ Nederlands नेपाली 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk ଓଡ଼ିଆ ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Português Română Русский Scots Shqip Simple English Slovenčina Slovenščina کوردی Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Татарча / tatarça తెలుగు ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 74 more Edit links This page was last edited on 11 August 2018, at 08 : 22 ( UTC ). 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Question: what was the purpose of the first earth day event on april 22 1970
Answer: an environmental teach-in