Earth Day -- April 22nd

Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which day events worldwide are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network and celebrated in more than 193 countries each year.

On Earth Day 2016, the landmark Paris Agreement is scheduled to be signed by the United States, China, and some 120 other countries.[3][4] This signing satisfies a key requirement for the entry into force of the historic draft climate protection treaty adopted by consensus of the 195 nations present at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris.

In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in recognition of his work. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on the environmental issues that the world faces.

Significance of World Earth Day Celebration

The founder of the Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, has chosen this day (22nd of April) to increase the awareness among common public, especially among youngsters to get full effect of the campaign of environmental safety. He had selected this day by keeping things in mind that there would not be any disturbances of the exams for the students or any fairs and festival for the common public, so that everyone could pay their full attention towards this event celebration. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is considered that 22nd of April 1970 was the 100th birth anniversary of the Vladimir Lenin.

World Earth Day Theme

• The theme of World Earth Day 2015 was "Water Wonderful World" and "Clean Earth – Green Earth".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2014 was "Green Cities".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2013 was "The Face of Climate Change".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2012 was "Mobilize the Earth".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2011 was "Clear the Air".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2010 was "Reduce".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2009 was "How Do You Get Around".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2008 was "Trees Please".
• The theme of World Earth Day 2007 was "Be kind to the earth – starting from saving resources".