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History

First launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States in 1970, Earth Day (April 22) is celebrated as the birth of the environmental movement.

Earth Day is a powerful catalyst for change. The first Earth Day, spearheaded by Wisconsin Governor Gaylord Nelson and Harvard University student Denis Hayes, involved 20 million participants in teach-ins that addressed decades of environmental pollution. The event inspired the US Congress to pass clean air and water acts, and establish the Environmental Protection Agency to research and monitor environmental issues and enforce environmental laws.

In 1990, two million Canadians joined 200 million people in 141 nations in celebrating the first International Earth Day. In many countries, the global event brought pressure on heads of state to take part in the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to address issues such as climate change and the world wide loss of species.

In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. They range from large public events, such as Victoria's Earth Walk (5,000 participants), Edmonton's Earth Day Festival at Hawrelak Park (30,000 participants), and Oakville, Ontario's Waterways Clean-up (2,000 participants) to the thousands of small, private events staged by schools, employee groups and community groups.
Source: Earthday.ca

How can you get involved?

EcoAction Teams help people reduce their impact on the environment and save money at the same time. Community based groups work through activity guides on a variety of topics (energy, waste, water, transportation, food and garden), and track their progress online. Check out the EcoAction online calculator.

EcoKids empowers Canadian youth (aged 7 to 12) with environmental knowledge and hands-on activities, and presents this information in fun, exciting ways.

EcoMentors matches high school students with EcoKids elementary classes to assist in teaching environmental education. The older kids gain teaching experience, while the younger kids learn about important environmental issues.

Want to do more? Click here to find out what is going on in your neighbourhood!

10 ways you can celebrate Earth Day every day!

1. Reduce home energy use by installing a programmable thermostat or using ceiling fans over air-conditioning. For more tips visit ecoteams.ca.
2. Choose locally grown and organically produced food.
3. Get involved with your neighborhood environmental organization. Go to earthday.ca for Earth Day events in your area.
4. Choose to drive less - use public transportation or try walking or biking.
5. Plant native species of trees, shrubs and plants to reduce your lawn cover and enhance the carbon absorbing capacity of the Earth.
6. Consider the environment when making purchases. Many consumer products - including cars and appliances - have an Energiude rating to help in making this decision.
7. Try eating less meat - the production and processing of grains requires far less water and land than that of livestock.
8. Be the catalyst in enhancing your company's environmental commitment.
9. Replace toxic chemical cleaners and pesticides with natural, non-toxic alternatives.
10. Subscribe to renewable energy utilities, like Bullfrog Power which promotes the use of wind, solar and small scale hydro-electrical generation.

Want to do more? Go to earthday.ca and learn how you can do your part to help the Earth!