Earth Day 2014

Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970.  He first organized it to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet, as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.  In the past, some people preferred to observe Earth Day around the time of the March Equinox. In 1978, American anthropologist Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day. She stated that the selection of the March Equinox for Earth Day made planetary observance of a shared event possible.

While Earth Day is not a public or national holiday, it is celebrated with true passion by those that truly value all the earth provides the human race.

Presently, Earth Day is celebrated with outdoor activities where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth such as planting trees, picking up roadside trash, recycling and conservation, using recyclable containers for snacks and lunches. In addition, some organizations (as usually shown on television) encourage people to sign petitions to governments that outline stronger and quick actions to stop global warming, and to help reverse destructive practices that affect the environment.

Symbols used by people to describe Earth Day include: an image or drawing of planet earth; a tree, a flower or leaves depicting growth; or the recycling symbol. Colors used for Earth Day include natural colors such as green, brown or blue. In addition, the “Earth Flag”, which was designed by John McConnell, has been described as a “flag for all people”. It features a two-sided dye printed image of the Earth from space on a dark blue field, made from recyclable, weather-resistant polyester. Margaret Mead believed that a flag that showed the earth as seen from space was appropriate.