Earth day is 55-years this year and I have grown up relatively mindful of Earth Day. It is generally the same week as my birthday and Arbor Day. I have always wondered, Is Earth Day intentionally so close to Arbor Day? What manifested these marked dates into existence? And as a society, do we still care about these days as much as when they originated? To determine if we care more or less about Earth Day let’s first understand the origination of the date.
Earth day was formed on April 22, 1970, by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin to raise awareness about environmental issues such as pollution, oil spills, deforestation, and the loss of biodiversity. All issues are still important topics in our modern-day society, and one could argue that the advent of Earth Day forged the inspiration for Environmental Protection Act (EPA) which formed in December of 1970. Senator Nelson was largely inspired by energy behind anti-war teach-ins and recruited Denis Hayes, an activist, to organize and scale the idea. April 22nd was chosen, it fell on a weekday after spring break and before final exams because he could maximize the greatest student attendance. (First lesson in organizing, know what your audience commitments will be and plan around them). Earthday.org states that, the first Earth Day in 1970 included the participation of 10% of the total population at the time, which was about 20 million Americans. This is ranked as the 2nd largest protest and/or demonstration in the United States. I suppose Mr. Hayes had a lot to be proud of with his staff of 85.
Earth Day often serves as a marketing tool for corporations. They make statements like “our bottles are made with 25% recycled plastic,” which can be misleading. Many people, including myself, have been deceived into thinking we are supporting environmentally responsible businesses.
This Earth Day, while considering environmental stewardship, it is important to evaluate corporations and scrutinize their environmental statements. Look for companies that are making efforts to improve their environmental impact. TerraCycle is a notable company focused on recycling hard-to-recycle single-use products such as toothpaste containers, razors, wrappers, personal protective equipment, and regulated waste, which are typically not accepted by recycling solutions. If you are a business owner or looking to reduce waste in your household, consider TerraCycle as an option to contribute to environmental improvement consistently.
