Earth Day came from a Senator Gaylord Nelson and Denis Hayes, a young activist. Nelson and Hayes wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution. Earth Day originally began as teach-ins on American University campuses and April 22 was chosen because it landed between Spring Break and final exams in the hope of maximizing student participation.
The first Earth Day occurred in 1970 and today it is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, with more than a billion people every year participating in this day of action to change human behavior and create global, national, and local environmental policy changes.
Try these subject headings, electronic resources, or check with reference staff for more materials:
And check out these online resources:
Celebrate Earth Day with us to adopt greener initiatives!
These groups focus on aspects such as trail maintenance, watersheds, parklands, wilderness conservation and education. They also look for volunteers.