The History of Earth Day in the US

Climate change and the impact it is having on our planet is clear for anyone to see. Hotter summers here in the Pacific Northwest spell more wildfires, and later-arriving winters cause a disruption in fauna mating patterns and flora plant life cycles.

As Earth Day approaches, coming April 22, it is relevant now more than ever to remember why the Earth Day celebration began.

Some 54 years ago, after decades of unrestricted pollution and deforestation, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wisconsin, was able to formally create Earth Day 1970 to bring attention to the severe lack of environmental protections in place, as described on the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website, epa.gov.

Before major federal legislation following that first Earth Day, companies held no legal responsibility to take care of the environment, dumping oil and other toxins into watersheds and pumping smog into the air. People were getting sick and ecosystems were being irreparably contaminated while unconcerned corporations were turning a huge profit.

At the same time, Oregon’s virgin, old-growth forests were being thinned at unprecedented rates because of this greed. At one point, logging in Oregon was almost completely unregulated.

Throughout the early 1900s, the industry here boomed, eventually leading to ecological devastation, says the Oregon Secretary of State’s website.

It wasn’t until after Earth Day in 1970 that the first far-reaching steps were made to reverse the damage, but progress would still come slowly. Beginning in the ’70s with a ban on certain herbicides including DDT, large change in our region would not come until “wildlife protections in 1991 slowed timber cutting on federal land” (see: sos.oregon.gov).

By 2019, Earth Day Oregon was created, which “organizes a statewide coalition of partners that inspires collective giving and action on April 22nd every year,” the group states. Essentially, the organization unites different businesses, nonprofits, and individuals who are fighting for a more sustainable, eco-friendly future. Since its launch five years ago, Earth Day Oregon has reported facilitating over $1.2 million dollars in donations towards the nonprofits they help to lift. Their website (facebook.com/earthdayor) also has an events page, which has volunteer activities of all sorts people may join.

The impacts you can have on the environment as an individual might not seem like much, but when we all come together to incorporate small changes into our lives, the effects are huge. According to environmentamerica.org, statewide and citywide bans on single-use plastic shopping bags throughout the U.S. has “cut single-use plastic bag consumption by about 6 billion bags per year.” If more states would put their foot down about single-use plastics, that figure could double or even triple.

Certainly there are a lot of things anyone can do to be more environmentally conscious. Instead of buying things brand-new, consider buying them secondhand. Shopping at places such as Goodwill, estate sales, thrift stores, or even eBay can prove to be a gold mine – glittering with items that once boasted huge price tags but are now affordable and in great condition. (My own favorite ceramic pan was thrifted for just $15 from Goodwill, and looks brand new.) Using reusable items made from metal or glass will actually save money in the long run, since there’s no need to repeatedly purchase them as one would with their single-use counterparts.

Earth Day 2024 will follow the hottest calendar year on record in modern history. It is crucial that, as the climate becomes more and more unbalanced, we bring attention to why Earth Day exists in the first place. It exists to get people to notice the ways in which the Earth’s complex systems are rapidly changing due to human activity. It will take all of us working together to better care for our home, just as it has long cared for us.