It was in 1969 that several episodes occurred in which the environment was put to serious tests, but one event in particular took the name of a real disaster: Santa Barbara an oil spill destroyed an entire ecosystem, killing fish, marine mammals and birds.
Public opinion began to realize all the dangers associated with the massive use of fossil fuels. In this context, the idea of ​​something that could lead to a different sensitivity and regulation found fertile ground.
The founder of Earth Day is John McConnell, a peace activist who was interested in the environment at the time. He believed that sustainability and peace were closely linked and that for this reason we humans are called to respect and love our planet
Thus, during a UNESCO conference held in San Francisco, he proposed establishing a day to celebrate the Earth and make men aware of the dangers they face if they continue to exploit the resources they have in a reckless manner.
In fact, life depends precisely on the maintenance of ecological balances
The proposal received wide consensus, so much so that not only was this anniversary established, but it was formalized by the production of a document, signed by 36 world leaders, containing a series of principles to be followed to care for the environment.
The first celebration took place on March 21, 1970and just a month later the April 21, 1970 was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmentally friendly event. However, it was what made it an international event Denis Hayes, one of the first coordinators, who created the Earth Day Network and participated in more than 180 countries around the world.
The wave of mobilization started from about 2000 American colleges and media 1990 reached 200 million people, leading in some way to the first Earth Summit organized by the United Nations in Rio, the 1992.
To this day, after many years, Earth Day is still the event that manages to participate the largest number of people around the world, mobilizing around one billion people
And in Italy?
This anniversary is also celebrated here thanks to Earth Day Italy that from 2007 he works tirelessly for a better world. There are many events organized, such as the Village for the Earth, the #OnePeopleOnePlanet media marathon and the Concert for the Earth. In addition, all the projects and actions carried out by Earth Day during the year are part of the Global Education Pact, which Pope Francis wishes to unite all those involved with the new generations.
In short, Earth Day should be every day and thanks to the numerous initiatives organized it is, but we must make sure it is also in our lives by jumping in and making our small but big contribution!
Federica Gasbarro works with The Wom independently and is in no way associated with the advertisements that may appear in this content.