Murray, NEB- Earth Day was celebrated on Monday,  in honor of our remarkable planet. Earth Day is celebrated throughout the world through marches and rallies to protect the environment. Organizers educate people on the importance of the effort for sustainability.

April 22 was the day chosen for Earth Day because of its placement between spring break and finals week. The participation could be maximized according to EarthDay.org. It was originally called “National Teach-IN on the Crisis of Environment”, according to Nelson’s Earth Day.

Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. A United States senator from Wisconsin organized a demonstration around the nation to raise awareness on environmental issues, according to National Geographic Kids. Once this event took place, rallies occurred around the world by the end of that year. The United States government saw the impact of this demonstration, so they created the Environmental Protection Agency.

Earth Day has not only led to the creation of environmental laws within the United States, but an environmental movement as a whole. The United States has passed laws including the Clean Air Act (CAA) and the Clean Water Act. Other countries have passed similar laws as well, in 2016 the United Nations chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement according to EarthDay.org.

Education and environmental literacy has gained popularity through campaigns, programs, and even schools. The Climate Literacy Campaign was launched in 2020 by the Earth Day Organization. The campaign urged governments that were to attend the UN climate summit in 2021 to make climate literacy a core class within school curriculums around the world. The National Civic Education program, also launched by Earth Day Organization, promotes the development of civic engagement with the youth on environmental issues within their community. Green School is a leader in environmental education. For over 25 years, they provided research for an environmental education curriculum for thousands of schools across the United States and countries abroad.

As Barack Obama once said, “We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it”.