|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earth Day - a day to celebrate the natural wonders of our planet, "to think about Earth's tender seedlings of life" was first proposed by John McConnell in early October 1969 to a few, members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and other community leaders especially interested in caring for and improving our natural environment. On November 25, 1969, the final day of the UNESCO National Conference, "Man, and His Environment," Cynthia Wayburn, one of the youth leaders on Mr. McConnell's Earth Day Committee, presented the idea and showed the Earth Flag during this presentation at the luncheon. Many expressed support for the idea.
In 1963, former Senator Gaylord Nelson began to worry about our planet. (A senator is a person that the people of the United States have chosen to help make the laws.) Senator Nelson knew that our world was getting dirty and that many of our plants and animals were dying. He wondered why more people weren't trying to solve these problems. He talked to other lawmakers and to the President. They decided that the President would go around the country and tell people about these concerns. He did, but still not enough people were working on the problem.
Then, in 1969, Senator Nelson had another idea. He decided to have a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment. He wrote letters to all of the colleges and put a special article in Scholastic Magazine to tell them about the special day he had planned. (Most of the schools got this magazine and he knew that kids would help him.)
On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. People all
over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone
got involved and since then, Earth Day has spread all over the
planet. People all over the world know that there are problems
we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the
planet and see what needs changing. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
