“Earth Day continues to grow as a worldwide phenomenon focused on promoting clean living and a healthy, sustainable habitat for people and wildlife alike,” states study.com. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 as a way to promote environmental consciousness into the mind’s of U.S. citizens. 

 What do people do on Earth Day?

 On Earth Day it is common for people to take part in environmentally friendly activities and place an added focus on cleaning the Earth. According to dosomething.com, “men, women, and children collect garbage, plant trees, clean up coral reefs, show movies, sign petitions, and plan for a better future for our planet.” In past years, the City of Santa Clarita has hosted clean-up events such as River Rally in which residents work to clean-up the Santa Clara River riverbed. Due to the pandemic however, this event was not able to be held this year.

Why do we celebrate Earth Day? 

According to earthday.org “Every year on April 22, Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.” In recent decades the push towards environmentally friendly policies rose, and Earth day has since helped to bring awareness to government projects and policies regarding the climate. “Earth Day 1970 led to the passage of landmark environmental laws in the United States, including the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),” states earthday.org. 

Overall, Earth Day has been a very big help in the direction of a cleaner planet. National Geographic said, “each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. By taking part in activities like picking up litter and planting trees, we’re making our world a happier, healthier place to live.”

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Image sent in by Kailey Parker