It was April 22, 1970, when the first Earth Day was celebrated. And while it’s still not considered a federal holiday, Monday is a day everyone should have marked on their calendars and plan to celebrate.
Earth Day started when former Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson toured an offshore oil spill in California in 1969. Nelson, who had long been concerned about the environment, wanted to kick off a national “teach-in,” much like those being held on college campuses throughout the U.S. in opposition to the Vietnam War, according to Earthday.org, which aims to educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.
The public response to the first Earth Day is credited with adding pressure on Congress to do more to address growing concerns regarding pollution. That led to important legislation getting passed, including the Clean Air Act in 1970 and the Clean Water Act two years later.
Since that first Earth Day more than 50 years ago, the movement has turned its focus to climate change. Each April 22 has a specific theme, and this year’s is Planet vs. Plastics. The goal is dubbed 60x40, which refers to focusing on a 60% reduction of plastic production by the year 2040.
Citing the danger plastics pose to all living creatures, EarthDay.org hopes to prompt people to phase out all single-use plastics by 2030, push for a strong United Nations treaty on plastic pollution and put end to fast fashion and the plastic it produces and uses. Fast fashion is when companies replicate high-fashion designs, mass-produce them at a low cost then bring them to retail quickly while demand is highest.
The organization is also calling for more research on the health implications of plastic, as well as the release of information regarding its effect on the public.
“The Planet vs. Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet,” Earthday.org President Kathleen Rogers stated on the organization’s website.
According to the U.N., more than 430 tons of plastic is produced in the world per year. Two thirds of that plastic is used for only a short period of time and, consequently, the equivalent of more than 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic are dumped into the world’s oceans, rivers and lakes every day.
If something isn’t done to combat plastic pollution now, it is set to triple by the year 2060, according to un.org.
The Oceanic Society offers multiple ways to combat plastic pollution, including reducing the use of single-use plastics; supporting legislation to curb plastic production and waste; recycling properly; participating in or organizing beach, lake or river cleanups; avoiding products containing microbeads, which are tiny plastic particles found in some face scrubs, toothpastes and body washes; and spreading the word and supporting organizations addressing the issue.
These are all seemingly easy steps we can take to help end plastic pollution. On Monday, take some time to work on ways you can help the environment. For a list of locations throughout Indiana holding Earth Day events, visit earthday.org.
Kokomo Tribune
