Kathak Dharohar Cooperation Circle, part of the north region of India, planted trees for the Earth Day Celebration at India Gate Delhi.
Each year, April 22 marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
The height of counterculture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” War raged in Vietnam and students nationwide overwhelmingly opposed it.
At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.
Earth Day 1970 gave voice to that emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns on the front page. As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995)—the highest honor given to civilians in the United States—for his role as Earth Day founder.
Some Useful Points For Saving The Earth:
- Plant a tree. Simple. Effective. Easy.
- Find a carpool service. Taking cars off the road is one of the best ways to combat climate change. Find people in your area with whom to share morning and afternoon commutes.
- Give up bottled water. Bottled water consumes huge amounts of fossil fuels to produce and transport, and most of those recyclable water bottles end up in landfills. Get yourself a refillable and permanent water bottle to carry with you. You’ll save money on the cost of all those water bottles, too!
- Start buying local. Locally grown food is easier on the environment. You’re also supporting local farmers, and they’ll thank you for it!
- Make a birdhouse. Birdhouses can be installed around schoolyards or even sold to raise money at an environmental fundraiser.
- Make a play garden. This is a space for kids to get their hands dirty. You can help them plant various flowers, vegetables and more. They’ll love watching them grow and tasting the fruits of their labor.
- Write a letter to your local representative. Reaching out to elected officials and voicing your concerns over local environmental issues is one of the best ways to have your voice heard.
- Organize a community cleanup. Get a group together to clean up your local park, schoolyard or beach.
Stay tuned! 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In honor of this milestone, Earth Day Network is preparing to announce an ambitious set of goals to shape the future we need.
We thank our Regional Coordinator (Sadanand sir), Sanjay Ghosal, Keka, Reema, Nadeem and members of Kathak Dharohar.
