Incredible Facts You Might Not Know About Earth Day

April 22 is a day that’s becoming increasingly important every year. This is Earth Day, a holiday that’s been around for over 50 years now and which brings important attention to the state of the world. It’s a time when issues like climate change take center stage, but also when volunteers do their bit to try and help the environment.

If we want the world we live in now to be around for many generations to come, it’s important that we pay attention to Earth Day and what it represents. If you’ve never really bothered with the holiday before, you might be interested to learn about some of these incredible Earth Day facts.

Earth Day was largely motivated by the desires of one American senator

As Earth Day has been around for over 50 years, it’s easy to forget how it all came about. Although it was reportedly the work of various environmentalists, the person who was most instrumental in the holiday was apparently Senator Gaylord Nelson. His efforts actually began years before Earth Day was established, with Nelson arriving in Washington in 1963 to make a push for environmental conservation. It seems he was motivated by the realization of how harmful widespread pesticide use can be and wished to make a change. He actually managed to get the president at the time to embark on a multi-state tour to help the movement. However, it wasn’t until 1970 that the holiday became official.

Earth Day’s date was apparently influenced by American college schedules

Earth Day falls on April 22 every year, but what relevance does this date have? Was there a reason that Senator Nelson chose this day over any other? Apparently, it’s all to do with college students. The people behind Earth Day knew that these students could effectively make or break the holiday because they were typically more passionate about this sort of thing. So, Nelson hired Denis Hayes - a Harvard University graduate - to help promote the event to the masses of young academics. Hayes ended up recommending April 22 as the date for Earth Day because it fell between spring break and final exams for nearly all campuses in the US. Evidently, he made the right choice.

A reported 20 million people got involved on the first Earth Day

Given that climate change seems to be a contentious issue among many Americans, you might think that the first Earth Day wouldn’t have been that successful. However, a reported 20 million people across the nation got involved with the event. People marked the occasion in all sorts of ways, from protests and demonstrations to nature walks and concerts. There were even mock trials for objects known for causing pollution, such as an old Chevrolet. These gatherings happened all over the US, with parts of New York City basically shut down because of the sheer number of people collected in one area. It was a turnout that presumably far exceeded what Senator Nelson had hoped for.

Earth Day also faced its share of backlash in the beginning

Despite the massive turnout that the first Earth Day allegedly received, the holiday was not welcomed by everyone. In fact, there was quite a bit of resistance to the event, with people criticizing it for all sorts of reasons. Some suggested that it was simply an attempt to secretly celebrate Vladimir Lenin’s birthday, while others claimed that Earth Day was one big distraction. They felt that the holiday simply covered up the growing war between the US and Southeast Asia. Others who were reluctant to embrace Earth Day did so on the basis of “greenwashing.” They accused companies of using April 22 as an opportunity to showcase how much they care about the planet, even though they were responsible for so much pollution.

Earth Day’s popularity influenced a bunch of environmental legislation

Despite the reluctance from some to celebrate Earth Day, the holiday was evidently a hit. We wouldn’t still be celebrating it now if it wasn’t. Not only has the event made many Americans more conscientious of the environment, but it’s also influenced a ton of legislation in the US. Polling in 1971 revealed that roughly a quarter of the public felt that protecting the planet was an essential goal. This was an increase of some 2,500% from two years earlier, showing just how much of an influence Earth Day had on people’s thinking. Over the next decade, a ton of legislation was introduced, including the Endangered Species Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Water Quality Improvement Act. All of these have been instrumental in trying to limit our impact on the environment.

Since that first celebration in 1970, Earth Day has become a global holiday that hundreds of countries now get involved with. More than a billion people reportedly do their part on April 22 every year, showing just how far things have come in the last half a century. If we really want to make a difference, though, we have to remember that every day is Earth Day.