17 Things you Need to Know About Earth Day
Come April 22 and we vow to go green! This Earth day, we present to you some interesting facts about the time of the year when the whole world is drenched in green.
1. Though the moniker, Earth Day, sounds rather instinctive, it was originally coined by luminary John McConnell at a UNESCO meeting held in San Francisco. It is believed that the name struck a New York advertising executive, Julian Koenig, who was part of the organizing committee, as it rhymed with the term ‘birthday.’
2. Earth Day was originally proposed to be celebrated on March 21 every year. Eventually, April 22 was agreed upon as the day to celebrate life on our planet. However, the former date is still tagged as Equinox Earth Day to mark the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere.
3. Though John McConnell was the creator of this day, the United States Senator Gaylord Nelson is regarded as the principal founder of Earth Day. Thereafter, April 22 became the official day for the commemoration of the Earth.
4. John McConnell’s tryst with fondness for nature can be dated back to his partnership with a chemist friend whose company manufactured plastic. At the backdrop of World War II and the undue manufacture of plastic in the world, he began to develop concerns for the environment at a time when such a feeling was almost null.
5. It is believed that John McConnell held a strong opinion in favor of the conservation of Earth. According to him, every human being on this planet is obliged to ‘take care’ of the land he or she breathes in freely. ‘The earth has been given to the children of men,’ he quoted.
6. John McConnell was deeply touched by a picture of the Earth in Life magazine. Thereafter, this image became the official symbol of the Earth Day Flag.
7. This flag is officially incorporated in the Earth Day Ceremony celebrations taking place every year on the spring equinox in the United Nations.
8. One of the reasons why April 22 was tagged as Earth Day was to ensure maximum participation of college students as they would be free of exams and breaks.
9. The first Earth Day celebration witnessed roughly 20 million Americans springing out to greet the sunshine in their lives.
