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sp | Conceived by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), the first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970, and celebrated by 20 million people who gathered at schools, parks, and houses of worship to show their support for environmentalism. Over 1,500 college and university campuses and 10,000 schools participated by holding special events. The first Earth Day is said to have been the largest public demonstration in U.S. history, involving more than 10 percent of the national population. American Heritage magazine called it “one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy.” In the years since, Earth Day has grown into a worldwide observance, celebrated by tens of millions of people.1 |
1Mink, Nicolaas. "Earth Day." Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, edited by Roger Chapman, and James Ciment, Routledge, 2nd edition, 2013. Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpecw/earth_day/0?institutionId=241.
This year's Earth Day theme is "Planet vs. Plastics”, which highlights the unwavering commitment to end plastics for the sake of human and planetary health. EARTHDAY.ORG is committed to tackling the plastics crisis head-on, aiming for a bold 60% reduction in plastic production by 2040 and aspiring to forge a plastic-free future. Visit EARTHDAY.ORG to learn more!
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LCSWMA manages the trash and recyclable materials from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania homes and businesses, as well as trash from the City of Harrisburg and surrounding Dauphin County communities.
Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Read more about the history of Earth Day here!