Earth Day (April 22nd) : Our
Planet, Our Responsibility:
Take Action this Earth Day
Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 all over the
world. It began in the year 1970 as a day to
demonstrate the importance and support of the
environment for living beings. The day afterward
has grown into the massive contribution of people
to the preservation of nature. Over one million
people every year take part in the activities of
Earth Day
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970,
by a group of environmental activists. It was first
proposed by peace activist John McConnell and
further gained worldwide popularity by United
States Senator Gaylord Nelson. On April 22, 1970,
an estimated 20 million Americans participated in
the awareness campaign about the issues of
pollution, spills of oils, loss of wilderness, and
pesticides.
The aim of celebrating Earth Day was to promote
practices that can help protect the environment,
such as planting trees, participating in recycling
programmes , consuming less electricity, and
saving water. Earth is the third farthest planet from
the sun. It is bright and bluish in appearance when
we see it from outer space. Water covers 70% of
the earth while land covers 30%. Moreover, the
earth is the only planet that can sustain life.
People on Earth Day come together from every
part of the world to raise awareness regarding the
challenges faced by our planet. To solve such
challenges, a list of campaigns is set up for
activities such as planting trees and picking up
roadside litter, and projects on conservation are
implemented. To add value to the day, people also
hold rallies and concerts to increase awareness
and understanding of the environment and the
science of climate change.
Earth Day is an important day that helps school
students learn about issues related to the
environment. Many schools organize programs and
set up educational camps to highlight crucial topics
like pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity,
and changes in climatic conditions. The motive of
these activities is to teach and inspire the students
regarding the importance and protection of the
environment. One such initiative is Earth School by
the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and TED-Ed to take children in natural
settings for 30 days.
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In India, on Earth Day, schools, colleges, and
universities take the initiative to teach students
about the problems of the environment, such as air
pollution, trash management, water scarcity, and
the loss of forests. The academic institutions also
organize events such as poster-making, essay
writing, quiz contests, and clean-up drives in the
local areas. Some environmental organizations also
organise public events for discussion regarding the
challenges facing India´s environment and its
potential solutions.
The aim of celebrating Earth Day is to educate
children as well as elders regarding the real-world
problems that impact the planet. Hands-on
activities such as practices to keep the park and
road clean encourage the students to become
citizens who are environmentally aware of the
problems as well as of possible solutions. With the
correct information and collective actions, we can
solve our problems with the environment and build
a cleaner and greener future
In conclusion, Earth Day involves people as well as
countries worldwide to protect our shared planet.
According to data from the United Nations
Environmental Programme, approximately 1.9
billion trees are planted every year, and countries
are coming up with projects as well as
implementations to improve the quality of the air,
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reduce erosion, and absorb carbon emissions.
Earth Day comes every year to bear responsibility
for the present as well as build a sustainable future
for Mother Earth.
Source : Earth Day Book By Arihat Publisher & Nat
Geography Channel Website
