Scroll Top
499 Derrer Rd, Columbus, OH 43204
earth day

Making a difference: Earth day and you!

How much do you really know about reforestation, saving endangered species and sourcing renewable energy? How much do you know about Earth Day and why it exists? On this day forty-seven years ago, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson made protecting the environment a priority. A grassroots movement began which later lead to national legislation that expanded the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act. Twenty years later, 200 million people in 141 countries brought environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day activities in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Unlike the first Earth Day in 1970, this 20th Anniversary was waged with stronger marketing tools, greater access to television and radio, and multi million-dollar budgets. Today, this fanfare has grown immensely in scope and Earth Day has become the focus of events, blogs, tweets and movements on a global scale. The Earth Day Network (EDN), a nonprofit organization that coordinates Earth Day activities collaborates with more than 17,000 partners and organizations in 174 countries. According to EDN, more than 1 billion people are involved in Earth Day activities, making it “the largest secular civic event in the world.”

earth day

How can you participate in Earth Day and the move towards a more conscious attitude towards our environmental responsibility? The Earth Day Network outlines numerous campaigns where you can get involved. They work with local organizers and with policy experts to protect communities and develop solutions for climate change and sustainability issues. Some local events in and around Columbus can be found here at NortheastOhioFamilyFun.com.  Here is one mom’s account of how she decided to involve her family and instill Earth-caring values into the minds of her children.