How did Earth Day start?
Every April 22, millions of people around the world gather to celebrate Earth Day . Through festivals, activities, and rallies, participants promote awareness of environmental issues and help protect the planet. The seeds of Earth Day were planted in the 1960s, when a small but vocal group of scientists and environmentalists became increasingly concerned that pesticides, sewage and industrial pollutants were poisoning the air and water and threatening the Earth. Dramatic events like the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland, Ohio (which reportedly started when sparks from a blow torch ignited pollution and oil on the river’s surface) only stirred the public’s worries about the state of the environment. During this time, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin also was getting concerned about the health of the environment, and the U.S. government’s apparent lack of attention to it. In 1963, he convinced President John F. Kennedy to go on an 11-state conservation tour. But even the popular p
Senator Gaylord Nelson was asked that a lot. Senator Nelson was worried about our Earth. He was upset with the government. He believed that they did not care. In 1962, Senator Nelson met with President John F. Kennedy. He talked President Kennedy into traveling around the U.S. He wanted the president to tell people what was happening to our Earth. 2 Senator Nelson spoke to groups of people too. He told people how the Earth was being hurt. The people told him that they were worried. The problem was that the government was not. In 1969, Senator Nelson got the idea for Earth Day. He was out West. He saw how angry young people were about the war. He told them about the environment.
Introduction to What is Earth Day? Every April 22, millions of people around the world gather to celebrate Earth Day . Through festivals, activities, and rallies, participants promote awareness of environmental issues and help protect the planet. The seeds of Earth Day were planted in the 1960s, when a small but vocal group of scientists and environmentalists became increasingly concerned that pesticides, sewage and industrial pollutants were poisoning the air and water and threatening the Earth. Dramatic events like the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland, Ohio (which reportedly started when sparks from a blow torch ignited pollution and oil on the river’s surface) only stirred the public’s worries about the state of the environment. During this time, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin also was getting concerned about the health of the environment, and the U.S. government’s apparent lack of attention to it. In 1963, he convinced President John F. Kennedy to go on an 11-state conser
