The 43rd annual Earth Day was celebrated on April 22.
Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wisconsin) created this day to spark awareness of environmental issues and the consequences of our bad habits, such as littering, taking hour-long showers and leaving appliances plugged in all day while at work or school.
He chose April 22 because there was no interference or clashing with other holidays.
Earth Day goes back to the 1960s during the Vietnam War protests and still lives on.
Some Earth Day celebration rituals include planting trees, recycling and much more.
Earth Day used to be a day of politics and protests, rallies and statements, rights and wrongs.
It is a day in great support of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Endangered Species acts.
The first Earth Day was scheduled on Arbor Day 1970, hence, the reason for planting so many trees on this holiday.
For Earth Day 2013, volunteers in Veracruz, Mexico spent their time cleaning up beaches to create a healthy living space for sea turtles, students from Jalandhar, India spent their time planting saplings in their hometown and in Seoul, Korea, fans of “Gangnam Style” singer Psy performed a flash mob version of “Eco-style.”
New York City’s Grand Central Terminal held live performances, activities for the children and talks on sustainability with free admission, spreading awareness of environmental unhealthiness.
Sims Recycling Solutions in Roseville attempted to break a Guinness World Record for “most consumer electronics recycled within 24 hours” in order to celebrate this environmental-awareness holiday.
An Earth Day event was also held in Stockton at Victory Park on Sunday, April 21.
Earth Day Network is the coordinator which has brought over 175 countries together to celebrate Earth Day and participate in “green” activities such as planting trees, recycling, cleaning up litter, riding bikes and much more.
Americans have become less aware and less caring about the environmental issues of today.
The year after Earth Day was created, 63 percent felt cleaning up the environment was “very important,” according to The Huffington Post.
That same poll now says only 39 percent feel this way.