There are two Earth Day holidays: one is observed on the March equinox, which is the astrological mid point in spring and autumn for the northern and southern hemispheres. The second Earth Day is celebrated on April 22nd, in many countries throughout the world. 

The Birth of the Equinox Earth Day

The equinox marks a 'half-way' point in astrological time. In that one day, spring falls in the northern hemisphere and autumn falls in the southern hemisphere. Peace Activist John McConnell wanted to celebrate Earth's wondrous gifts, and he chose the equinox as a universal day to honor our planet. McConnell presented his idea for a global Earth Day, in 1969. With environmental supporters in the UN and elsewhere, the first Earth Day was observed on March 21, 1970. McConnell create The Earth Day proclamation, which was signed by world leaders as their commitment of becoming an Earth Trustee. In 1971, Earth Day was declared an annual, worldwide event; The Earth Day proclamation, promoted by UN Secretary Thant, supported McConnell's global vision.

The Birth of the April 22nd Earth Day

In the 1960's, U.S. Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson toured the U.S. to promote conservation. He wanted the U.S. government to take responsibility for environmental problems and finding solutions. His vision turned to a grassroots movement to spread environmental awareness. He had seen the power behind the Vietnam protests, or teach-ins, on college campuses. Nelson thought the same idea would work for promoting Earth Day events; he promoted a one day 'environmental teach-in' across college campuses. He contacted other Washington officials, college campuses, and editors. News of the Earth Day event drew excitement and participation. 

Approximately 20 million Americans participated in the inaugural Earth Day observation. Both McConnell and Nelson had similar goals in mind: create awareness, address environmental concerns, and work together as caretakers of Earth. 

The Importance of Earth Day

Mainstream society did not acknowledge that human behavior affected Earth's resources. One of the major successes of Earth Day was greater acceptance of being the caretaker of Earth. We saw that our business and personal actions destroyed environmental resources. More people wanted to stop toxins from being poured into lakes, prevent oil spills from killing sealife, and reduce landfills by recycling. The U.S. passed many laws that pointed to the change in mindset, such as The Clean Air Act.

The Earth Day observations are celebrated across the world. It is the only global holiday, which is celebrated by people of all races, religions, ages, backgrounds, political affiliations. The importance of Earth Day is to unite everyone in a global celebration of Earth's gifts and spread awareness of environmental issues.

Earth Day Birthday 

In 2009, a group of socially conscious people decided to continue the legacy of past Earth Day events. In similar grassroots efforts of Earth Day founders, supporters of Earth Day Birthday started by spreading awareness of environmental concerns. They found each other online and joined forces to make a united event on Earth Day.

The social consciousness and global aspect of the group led them to create Earth Day Birthday. The goal is to promote awareness of everyone's responsibility in taking care of the earth, like McConnell's Earth Trustees. 

Social Traffic invites everyone to look at their own lives and see what environmentally-friendly changes you can make. Some of our members are reducing waste by not buying plastic bottles, not buying ink cartridges, or switching personal products for eco-friendly types. We've seen that McConnell and Nelson made a difference - they started with a single vision and included the world in their plans. Social Traffic plans similar success - starting with one vision, we can join together and make a huge impact on our world. The success will be something that makes a difference every day of the year.

Join Social Traffic's Earth Day Birthday party and make a difference.