Lately there’s been a lot of talk about exploring mars, going back to the moon, but here’s an opportunity to celebrate our very own planet - Earth.

Earth Day is a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress. Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet.  On Tuesday, April 22nd you too can join in.  It will be Earth Day’s 38th Anniversary and an opportunity for all of us to recognize the importance of the environment and bring it to the forefront of issues at home, at school, in the office, in your community, and in our nation’s Capital.

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people across America celebrated the first Earth Day. It was a time when cities were buried under their own smog and polluted rivers caught fire. Now Earth Day is celebrated annually around the globe. Through the combined efforts of the U.S. government, grassroots organizations, and citizens like you, what started as a day of national environmental recognition has evolved into a world-wide campaign to protect our global environment.

The Seeds of Earth Day are Planted

Although many people take credit for founding Earth Day, it was truly an effort that took significant political will and a large grassroots effort.  And it didn’t happen overnight, rather the idea evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. Senator Gaylord Nelson, often called the Founder of Earth Day, had been troubled that the state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the nation’s political arena. In November 1962, an idea occurred to him that could put the environment into the political "limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President Kennedy to give visibility to the environment by going on a national conservation tour.  And so, the President began a five-day, eleven-state conservation tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour was not all that successful in placing the environment onto the national political agenda. However, it was the seed that ultimately flowered into Earth Day. Six years would pass before Earth Day would bloom into full form.

In 1969 anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, called "teach-ins," had spread to college campuses all across the nation. Senator Nelson had an idea… why not organize a similarly huge grassroots protest over what was happening to the environment?

With the help and backing of others, in the spring of 1970 it was announced that there would be nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment and everyone was invited to participate. The wire services carried the story from coast to coast. The response was electric. It took off like gangbusters. Telegrams, letters, and telephone inquiries poured in from all across the country.  

The American people finally had a forum to express their concern about what was happening to their home - the land, rivers, lakes, and the air - and they did so with spectacular exuberance – on the order of 20 million demonstrators.  For Senator Nelson, one of the most remarkable things was that people organized themselves.  Thousands of schools and local communities participated.  It was an overwhelming response, indicative of the concerns of the masses and true value of our planet.

First View of Earth from Moon:

The image below shows the world's first view of Earth taken by a spacecraft from the vicinity of the Moon. The photo was transmitted to Earth by the United States Lunar Orbiter I and received at the NASA tracking station at Robledo De Chavela near Madrid, Spain. This crescent of the Earth was photographed August 23, 1966 at 16:35 GMT when the spacecraft was on its 16th orbit and just about to pass behind the Moon. The image is taken from NASA's headquarters website.

What Earth Day activities are taking place in your watershed?

From festivals to nature walks, ocean dives, and clean up activities, all sorts of events take place on and around Earth Day.  And the Internet offers a great way to learn more and discover what is happening where.  Below are just a few of the sites that might prove informative and help you and your family to participate. Play a role on Earth Day in protecting your watershed, our environment and the Earth – truly our only home. Looking for more information about Earth Day? Check out these websites:

• Earth Day Network
   

• Earthday.gov – Portal for U.S. Government Events and Information 
   

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Earth Day 2008

Big Blue Marble

The Blue Marble from Apollo 17:

(Image courtesy NASA Johnson Space Center Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth)

This classic photograph of the Earth was taken on December 7, 1972.

View of the Earth as seen by the Apollo 17 crew traveling toward the moon. This translunar coast photograph extends from the Mediterranean Sea area to the Antarctica south polar ice cap. This is the first time the Apollo trajectory made it possible to photograph the south polar ice cap. Note the heavy cloud cover in the Southern Hemisphere. Almost the entire coastline of Africa is clearly visible. The Arabian Peninsula can be seen at the northeastern edge of Africa. The large island off the coast of Africa is the Malagasy Republic. The Asian mainland is on the horizon toward the northeast.

Images below were created using NASA's MODIS sensor data from the Aqua and Terra satellites.