by Oliver St John

     Responding to wide spread environmental degradation, particularly an horrific oil spill off the West Coast in 1969, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for an Environmental Teach-in or Earth Day to be held on April 22, 1970. He was so outraged by what he had seen that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth. Over 20 million people participated that first year and it is now observed each year by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries.

     April 22 is also the birthday of Arbor Day founder Julius Morton. Arbor Day became a legal holiday in Nebraska in 1885, to be permanently observed on April 22. Arbor Day has since been largely eclipsed by the more widely observed Earth Day, though many individual states still celebrate Arbor Day at separate times, as per this list.

     The 1960s had been a very dynamic period for ecology in the US. It was in the mid-1960s that Congress passed the sweeping Wilderness Act, and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas asked, "Who speaks for the trees?" The 1969 oil spill was, for Senator Nelson, the spark that turned environmental awareness into a raging fire. Nelson stated that Earth Day "worked" because of the spontaneous public response at the grassroots level. It is estimated that 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities participated.

     Senator Nelson directly credited the first Earth Day with convincing American politicians that environmental legislation had a substantial, lasting and thus worthwhile constituency. Many high-profile laws were passed by the United States Congress in the wake of the first Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act and laws to protect drinking water, animal habitats and the ocean. Now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the non-profit Earth Day Network, www.earthday.org, Earth Day is the largest secular holiday in the world.

     The replacement of Arbor Day by Earth Day does not mean you can't still plant a tree - only that in addition to planting a tree, there are many other ways to show your commitment to the rock we call home. The World Wildlife Fund has launched a Time For Change campaign to raise awareness of ways in which we can all contribute to making a positive difference on the Earth.

     And therein lies the big question: what can YOU do for Earth Day?

     Everything you do to help makes a lasting difference, but perhaps the biggest thing you can do on Earth Day is to get your neighbor involved. Or your co-worker, your pastor, your classmate, your drinking buddy, your fellow book club member, or the guy sitting next to you on the train. If a thousand people each take the time to educate two more, and then those two do the same next year, and so on, that thousand is transformed into a quarter million in just five years.

     One of the best ways to get people involved is to host a Green Gathering. Throw a party, invite your friends over, and make sure everyone recycles their drink containers. Buy some locally-grown food and prepare that great recipe idea you've been saving for a special occasion. And, perhaps most importantly, pick up some carbon credits to offset the environmental impact of the event - carbonfund.org is a great place to get these. It's just like a regular party, only greener.

     Another idea is to ask your minister, rabbi or other clergyperson to give an Earth Day sermon on that Sunday and let the whole congregation be educated in that way. Some invaluable resources to pass along, including a variety of links to interfaith environmental networks, can be found at this site.

     Last but not least, you could attend one of the Earth Day celebrations already planned - the city of Albuquerque is planning a huge street event. A music festival will be going on in both San Francisco and New York City, and Boston is hosting the "Greatest Party on Earth". Similar events are taking place across Europe, North America and elsewhere.

     Whatever you do to mark Earth Day, it will make a difference. No amount of help is too small to be worth it, and no amount of time and money is too large to be worth it. Perhaps the one thing you do will put us just over the needed amount of effort to turn back the raging tide of devastation facing the planet. You have it in you to save the world.