April 22 is Earth Day, a holiday recognized every year that is focused on being green and showing awareness for our planet. On this day, millions of people hold rallies and take time to learn about our planet, and how to care for it.

Americans in the 1960’s were being familiarized with the concept of pollution and its consequences on the environment due to Rachel Carson’s book called Silent Spring, published in 1962, which raised awareness about pesticides. Chemical waste disposal was also a problem, evident in a fire at the Cuyahoga River of Ohio in 1969. Before these events, the government did not pay much attention to saving the planet’s natural resources. Factories often dumped waste into bodies of water and released greenhouse gases into the air.

According to History.com, Earth Day has been celebrated ever since its creation in 1970. Its founder, Senator Gaylord Nelson, became inspired by anti-war protests in the late 1960’s, as well as the massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. He realized that the environment was not being recognized as something that we should protect. By creating Earth Day, he hoped to thrust the well-being of the environment into the spotlight by informing people about air and water pollution.

On April 22 of 1970, over 20 million people all over the country celebrated the day by organizing protests and marches. Environmental groups that commemorated Earth Day realized that they shared some of the same viewpoints, and were brought together. This day even led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an organization whose goal is to “protect human health and the environment.” A series of acts that included the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act were passed.

Earth Day continued to be celebrated each year, and in 1990, the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, a huge campaign was organized, causing 200 million people from 141 countries to share the celebrations of the holiday along with the U.S. The commemoration of Earth Day was so successful that President Bill Clinton awarded Nelson for his efforts with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest honor given to civilians of the United States.

Earth Day is still just as popular as it was back when it was first celebrated – over a billion people take part in Earth Day-related activities. To show your support for this holiday, you can reduce, reuse, and recycle materials, and learn more about our world.