Earth Day History

The first celebration called EARTH DAY was initiated by the mayor and city of San Francisco at the request of John McConnell on the vernal equinox, March 21, 1970. John McConnell introduced the idea of the Earth Flag and the vernal equinox International Earth Day, which was first observed at the UN in 1971 and later proclaimed by the US Congress and President Ford in 1975. John McConnell celebrates St. Francis and the birth of Earth Day.

The first National Earth Day, April 22, 1970, came about in the United States through years of effort by Senator Gaylord Nelson and because of a spontaneous response at the grassroots level.

 

Earth Day Links

Consider supporting these fine organizations and their work.

Earth Day - The Wilderness Society's site for teachers and students
Links in support of the planet's resources ~ All About Earth Day, Arctic Adventure, Migratory Max and Kids in Action.

Earth Day - 12 Spiritual Practices to Honor the Earth
Suggestions for celebrating Earth Day

Earthday Network - Every day for everybody
Upcoming Earth Day events, and programs.

WWF - ARPA: A Giant Step to Protect the Amazon Forest
World Wildlife Fund is helping to preserve 80 tropical forests, creating a network of reserves and national parks in South America's Amazon Region Protected Area. Together these areas are roughly the size of California. What Are You Doing for Earth Day?

BioGems - Save endangered wild places
Natural Resources Defense Council project to help save endangered wildlife

Conservation International - Conservation programs
Conserving the Earth's living natural heritage, global diversity, and demonstrating that human societies are able to live harmoniously with nature.

green.tv - U.N. Environment Programme partner
The world's first broadband TV channel dedicated to environmental issues

ecofoot.org - EarthDayNetwork's Earth Day Footprint Quiz
How many acres is your ecological footprint? Select your country and language to start the quiz.

EnviroLink Network - Earth Day Organizer's Guide
Nonprofit organization providing access to thousands of online environmental resources, since 1991.

 

Earthly Wonders ~ NASA

Precocious Earth - NASA Science News from January 17, 2001
Tiny zircon crystals found in ancient stream deposits suggest that Earth harbored continents and liquid water remarkably soon after our planet formed. Life could have established a foothold on Earth 400 million years earlier than expected.

Earth Songs - NASA Science News from January 19, 2001
If humans had radio antennae instead of ears, we would hear a remarkable symphony of strange noises coming from our own planet. An online receiver at the Marshall Space Flight Center is playing these songs of Earth so anyone can listen.