April 22nd, 2023, is the 53rd annual Earth Day celebration. The theme of this year’s holiday is “Invest in Our Planet.” The preservation and efficient use of water, a vital natural resource, leads all that we do at Schroeder Law Offices. As a water law office, Schroeder assists municipal water users and districts, individual and family farms, and ranches to promote sustainable water use throughout Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, and Washington. To celebrate, let’s brush up on some Earth Day history.
The beginnings of Earth Day can be traced back to an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969. Because of its devastating effect on the surrounding nature and wildlife, the public’s concern over what could be done to protect the environment grew. After the spill, Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson inspired a nationwide “teach-in” day. Senator Nelson enlisted the help of a young activist Denis Hayes, fellow senator Pete McCloskey, and numerous volunteers and activists thereby creating the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970. 20 million people celebrated the first holiday, prompting nationwide demonstrations, protests, and teach-ins.
Earth Day is now a global event celebrated each year through demonstrations, events, and acts of service!
To keep the mission of Earth Day in mind this year, Earthday.org created a list of the many ways you can take care of the earth in your day-to-day life. Some ideas you might try:
- Attending a tree planting event
- Participating in a community beach cleanup
- Planting a pollinator garden to help the population of bees, butterflies, and other organisms in your local ecosystem
- Attending an Earth Day event (find one in your area using this interactive map)
- Reading more on Earth Day history to explore the origins of the holiday
This weekend, please join us in celebrating Earth Day’s mission.
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