Earth Day is an annual event held on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970 and has since become a global phenomenon, with over 1 billion people participating in Earth Day actions every year ¹.

The idea of Earth Day was born out of a growing concern for environmental issues in the 1960s. Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, an ardent conservationist, proposed the idea of a national environmental teach-in, which eventually evolved into Earth Day. The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970, with an estimated 20 million Americans participating in rallies, marches, and teach-ins calling for environmental reform ¹.

Today, Earth Day is coordinated globally by the nonprofit (link unavailable) and is observed in over 192 countries. The day is marked by various events, including rallies, marches, tree planting, and other environmental activities. Earth Day has become a powerful symbol of the need for environmental protection and has inspired numerous environmental laws and policies, including the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act ¹.