April 4, 1970. What does this date mean? Is it a random date in the past? Actually, it is the date that Earth Month started. Having one day to celebrate and bring awareness to helping the environment was not enough, so eventually, Earth Day became Earth Month by 1990. Earth Month’s purpose is to be aware of the harm happening to the earth and to get people to actively help the earth.
Before Earth Day, people had been trying to help the environment while others continued to harm it. The climate was being harmed by pollution from many inefficient automobiles. People like Rachel Carson were trying to bring awareness to the effects of pollution on living organisms with her book “Silent Spring.” The book became a “New York Times” bestseller, selling 500 thousand copies in 24 countries. The book got people to become consciously aware of the environment.
It was not until a disaster struck the environment when there was a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in January 1969 when Earth Month movement began. This disaster caught the attention of senator Gaylord Nelson who sought out students’ passion and energy for anti-war protests for ecological activists.
Earth Month went global in 1990 with 200 million participants with 141 countries joined. The United Nations became involved, which only furthered the movement in 1992. Nowadays, April 22 is Earth Day, and this year celebrates 53 years.
We have come a long way since 1970, but we still have a long way to go. We need to invest in our planet before we lose it. There are big steps you can take to make a difference like donating to an organization, join an organization or go protest for the environment.
If you have an opportunity to make a difference on the frontlines, it may look different in a variety of ways. Frontline involvement could entail helping to resist diesel fuel development, the work of traditional farmers who practice soil conservation, the rights of indigenous peoples to defend their forests and ever-resilient communities with diverse economies and networks.
However, there are small things you can do to pick up the trash you see around campus, use the internet instead of paper trees when you can and educate yourself on about the earth. It is important to take care of the planet not just for us but for our future generations. Our earth is a beautiful place that needs to be taken care of. A clean environment is essential for healthy living. Earth is our home. We are losing beautiful parts of our home and we can turn things down.
As Earth Month comes up, you can do your part to help the environment. Some methods are unplugging unused electronics, reduce and reuse, take walk instead of drive when you can and do your part to help clean up the environment. Even the smallest changes can make the biggest differences.
Start today and change the world. During the month of April, take time to treasure the nature around you. Even though there may be times when we don’t enjoy nature when we are supposed to have an event outside and it decides to thunderstorm all day or when we wake up and there is a fresh foot of snow outside. Despite the unfortunate times we have with nature, it is a unique beauty that needs to be treasured and saved.
