Celebrating Our Home: Earth Day 2021

This year, people around the globe are stepping up to push back against climate change. Evolving from the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mindset to consciously contributing to reforestation is a massive step for humanity and the planet. What better way to end this month with the celebration of planet Earth? April 22nd marks Earth Day's 50th year of recognition, a holiday dedicated to making the world a cleaner and greener place. At Greenstand, we know that conservation of our natural environments is one of the many essential ways to protect the environment and wildlife that rely upon it.

Earth Day's humble beginnings go back to the United States in the early 1970s. Unfortunately, at that time, U.S. citizens were ignoring the country's significant environmental hazards. The Adirondack Council states, "In the 1960s, limited environmental laws were protecting our air and waters, and the Environmental Protection Agency had not been established yet. Industries were spewing out pollution without much fear of legal repercussions." Air pollution meant nothing, especially while the war in Vietnam was the biggest concern at that time.

While Americans staged protests opposing the government’s involvement in Vietnam, biologist Rachel Carson took the liberty of bringing awareness to environmental pollution in 1962. She published Silent Spring, a book derived from federal science and private research over six years. Silent Spring addressed the issue of the lack of concern that humans had for the planet and bringing light to the dangers of DDT, an insecticide that is now banned in the United States due to its harmful effects on wildlife. 

This book was a call to action for individuals and democracies to protect the environment and aid in human health reform. Despite resistance from President John F. Kennedy, the book sold 500,000 copies in 24 countries, which inspired the environmentalism movement. 

In 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson established Earth Day events through young activists and local volunteers. He proposed the idea after a monumental oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Alongside him were Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey and activist Denis Hayes, organizing the Earth Day events and inspiring 20 million Americans to speak their truths. Earth Day took the world by storm and even persuaded the Nixon administration to establish the Environmental Protection Agency and pass the landmark Clean Air Act by the end of 1970. The person who came up with the name "Earth Day" was no other than Julian Koenig, a very successful adman known for his tagline for the Volkswagen Beetle.

Earth Day still resonates with individuals and countries all over the globe. Ensuring the survival of the planet is crucial for not just humans but wildlife as well. In years following the first celebration of Earth Day, many formative environmental protection acts were passed including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.

The urgency to preserve the planet's ecosystem encourages new generations to continue the fight against climate change. Social media has aided in bringing awareness to deforestation and environmental poverty. Young activists such as Greta Thunberg, Isra Hirsi, Mari Copeny, and John Paul Jose are taking the globe by storm by addressing the ongoing environmental crisis and promoting sustainability. Earth Day is widely observed by billions each year, and Greenstand is one of the many organizations addressing climate change through modern technology. The mobile Treetracker app allows growers to care for trees and track their growth through geotagged photos. Once uploaded into the cloud and verified, growers are compensated for their environmental impact, and forests in those areas can begin to thrive. Greenstand contributes to reforestation and poverty alleviation with a straightforward solution that inspires donors and investors to aid in the success of tree farmers. The planet needs trees and vital ecosystems to survive.  Every day individuals continue fighting to protect the planet and the people who depend on it.

How do you celebrate Earth Day? Let us know at pr@greenstand.org!

Sydney Stokes

Communications & Marketing Intern

sydneyastokes16@gmail.com