Sarah Davies | Over five decades of making the planet a better place

On April 22, EARTH DAY will turn 55 years old — a perfect moment to reflect on how Earth Day has made a lasting impact on our planet, and proof that an engaged public can change the world for the better.

A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

First, we have been championing policy changes around the world for over five decades but the Earth Day movement started in the US back in 1970, co-organised by EDO’s founder and then student activist, Denis Hayes.

Hayes was recruited by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to organise a series of campus teach-ins to mark a day of environmental action but Hayes was challenged to scale the idea up so that it appealed to the broader public, as well as college students.

Picking the actual day was their first big decision. They chose April 22, which was on a Wednesday in 1970, falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, the idea being that this would most likely maximise student participation at least. They decided to name the day too - hence Earth Day was born. It immediately started to garner media attention on television news, radio and in newspapers across the country.

Oil spills, raw sewage, toxic chemical dumps, rampant pesticide use, the degradation of important habitats and wildlife loss were all stories beginning to hit the headlines and creating a sense of deep-seated concern that not enough was being done to protect the environment. Earth Day effectively became a rallying cry for other organisations and the public to get behind to collectively demand change and government action. Hayes built a national staff of just 85 activists to promote events across the US and invite everyone to make their voices heard. They did.

MASS MOVEMENTS = POLICY CHANGE

That first Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans — at the time, 10 per cent of the total population of the United States — from all walks of life and of all political persuasions to take to the streets and demand protection against the impacts of 150 years of unaccountable industrial development. All at a time that predated computers, social media and cell phones. Even today, it remains one of the biggest secular events in American history.

By the end of 1970, that very first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of important environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Clean Air Act. Two years later, Congress passed the Clean Water Act. In 1990, the US strengthened the Clean Air Act Amendments to tackle acid rain and air pollution, inspiring similar laws worldwide. So it was fitting in 2016 that Earth Day was the day chosen to mark the opening day of signatures for the Paris Climate Agreement.

You can hear Denis Hayes talking about his latest activism with Kathleen Rogers, president of EARTHDAY.ORG, here on https://x.com/EarthDay/status/1848757830729207978

LIVING GREENER

But EARTHDAY.ORG’s work to promote Earth Day as a force for change is not just about driving policy change designed to protect the environment - Earth Day is proud to be a gateway to all kinds of environmental activism across the world. From our global initiative A Billion Acts of Green, launched in 2010, which has inspired over 3 billion acts of environmental stewardship to the Great Global Cleanup, launched in 2020, which has inspired over 16 million volunteers in just four years to collectively remove nearly 100 million tons of trash — primarily plastic — from our communities.

“Every year for the last five we have been actively cleaning up plastic trash and making a difference to local communities but we want to inspire more people than ever before to get involved in 2025. We invite college students, schools, faith groups, local business and hobby groups, from hill walkers to gardeners to scuba divers and more, to get involved and either join or create their very own Great Global Cleanup event and add it to our GGC Map,” said Michael Karapetian, Great Global Cleanup coordinator

If you want to support our work in our 55th year, please spread the word about our campaign by reposting about us on social media. We are active on IG, LinkedIn, You Tube, X and Facebook.

LEARNING TO BE GREEN

We are, too, the global leaders in advocating for the universal teaching of climate education in all schools, and our report Climate Education vs The Climate Crisis makes a compelling case for why we believe this is so important in managing the climate crisis. It counters misinformation as well as equipping students with the skills they will need for careers in the ‘green economy’.

With over 95 per cent of US schools and a billion people worldwide observing Earth Day, this movement is uniquely positioned to advocate for climate education. and has been championing individual nations across the world to include the teaching of climate education in their Nationally Determined Contributions, known as NDCs.

SETTING THE THEME

As well as these core campaigns, EARTHDAY.ORG sets the theme for Earth Day every year and, in 2024, chose, Planet vs Plastics, which shifted the global conversation on plastics so that it did not just cover plastic pollution and its impact on wildlife but also included its impact on human health, via microplastics and their toxic chemicals. By highlighting how these substances threaten human health, our reports, Babies vs Plastics and Pets vs Plastics drove media widespread coverage on a critically important issue.

For 2025, EDO has chosen ‘Our Power, Our Planet’ as the Earth Day theme, aiming to triple global electricity generation from renewable sources by 2030.

Renewable energy comes from replenishable sources, like the sun, which do not produce greenhouse gasses and therefore do not drive climate change. It is energy that ends our reliance on fossil fuels and the damage they cause to both our environment and human health.

“For years we have been fed the lie that only fossil fuels can power the planet, that is not true. By the 2030s, the largest source of electricity generation on the planet will be solar power,” said Denis Hayes, the organiser of the very first Earth Day, and board chair emeritus of EARTHDAY.ORG.

Through our new campaign, Earth Day Global Conversation, we will collaborate with the media, communities, mayors, and local leaders to drive the support and uptake of renewable energy. We’ll highlight how solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and tidal energy benefit both the planet and our health, promote energy equity, and are already creating millions of new jobs worldwide, with many more to follow.

If you want to support our work, sign the Our Power, Our Planet Renewable Energy Petition – https://action.earthday.org/our-power-our-planet-renewable-energy-petition. Join us in urging governments worldwide to prioritise tripling renewable energy by 2030, and help us reach 55,000 signatures by Earth Day 2025.

FOR THE LOVE OF TREES

Last, through our Canopy Project we have planted millions of trees. In Mexico, Uganda, South Africa, Bangladesh, Madagascar and the precious Sundarbans mangroves of India. Working with local communities we have used your generous donations in the places that have most needed them to reforest. If you want to support our tree-planting efforts, please consider donating to Earth Day.

All of your contributions directly fund our initiatives in planting trees, backing renewable energy advocacy, campaigning for the inclusion of climate education in all schools globally, and supporting our community-based action.

For 55 years you have walked with us and helped to create this powerful movement. Make this the biggest observance of Earth Day yet and get involved!

Sarah Davies is director media communications at EARTHDAY.ORG. Send feedback to davies@earthday.org and columns@gleanerjm.com