You’ve no doubt heard of Earth Day, but did you know there are actually two Earth Days each year?
On March 21, 1970, the very first official Earth Day observance took place. John McConnell, activist and coordinator of the effort, may have gotten on the calendar first, but was not necessarily the founder of Earth Day.
Since Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published 8 years earlier, they was a growing movement demanding change in regard environmental issues. In 1969, after seeing the tragic aftermath of an oil spill in California, Senator Gaylord Nelson announced a “Teach-In” to take place on April 22nd of the following year. This educational event was meant to garner support for legislation and governmental patronage; and Nelson enlisted help to spread the word across campuses and in communities coast to coast.
McConnell, however, was convinced that the vernal equinox – the first day of Spring – was the more appropriate day to celebrate Earth Day, and the mayor of San Francisco agreed. Therefore on March 21, 1970, the first observance took place. McConnell would later reveal that Nelson called him to ask him to coordinate efforts and consolidate the day on April 22, but McConnell refused. In June of 1970, the UN sanctioned the Equinox as “International Earth Day”, and that date is currently celebrated in nearly 200 nations.
However it was Nelson’s April 22 initiative that caught on like wildfire with the populace; millions showed up; legislation was quickly introduced; and within months, the Environmental Protection Agency was born. The vast majority of Earth Day activities, in Wilmington and across the US, take place during April’s “Earth Week”, the days surrounding April 22 each year.
At Julia’s Florist, we love and appreciate all the benefits that green plants and flowers bring to our homes and offices. In that way, every day is Earth Day at Julia’s – but it’s always fun to celebrate Earth Day with a new plant! Give us a call today.
