Why was Earth Day created?
By the early 1970s, many Americans were upset over the damage human beings were causing to the Earth and its environment. Due to the use of leaded gasoline and lack of air filters or emissions requirements for vehicles and factories, a tremendous amount of pollution was being released into the environment. Earth Day was launched internationally in 1990 when 200 million people in 141 countries participated in the event. Many Americans refused to accept the notion that pollution was a merely a reflection of the prosperity of the United States. Lead by Mr. Gaylord Nelson, the founder of the first Earth Day, many Americans across the country decided to conduct a demonstration on April 22, 1970, to voice their displeasure and to try to change government and business practices so that they were less harmful to the environment.
