Earth Day 2021

Earth Day began in 1970 to celebrate nature and was an opportunity to gather with others across the nation to celebrate conservation and the importance of protecting the planet. Pollution, Rachel Carson's Book Silent Spring published in 1962, and the work of  Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin led to the creation of the day. For a more detailed history of its origins see this timeline at earthday.org. This celebration happens annually on April 22.

By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of other first of their kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act,  the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act.  Two years later Congress passed the Clean Water Act.  A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and soon after the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. These laws have protected millions of men, women and children from disease and death and have protected hundreds of species from extinction.

Take a look at some of the ways that Earth Day is being celebrated in the United States by federal agencies this year,

National Park Service is celebrating on social media using the hashtags #EarthDay and #NationalParkWeek to share experiences and memories of  National Parks. Join in the fun with your favorite memory or create a new one. Earth Day corresponds this year with National Park Week.  You can find a list of daily themes (including Earth Day) at National Park Week Theme Days.

NASA has provided a page packed with educational resources, posters, ways to connect through social media and so much more.  Check out the abundant resources at Earth Day 2021: Connected by Earth.

The Fish and Wildlife Service is celebrating through a host of virtual events.  They also have an  Earth Day webpage dedicated to the celebration with links to learn about how to help the environment, strengthen tribal relations, and explore the state of environmental justice.

To learn about other how agencies and organizations celebrating Earth Day 2021 visit the links to their Earth Day pages below:

America's Library

EarthDay.org 

Environmental Protection Agency

Department of Energy

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

See the poster below for the events at Oklahoma State University this week.