Our Earth

Blue and green illustration of earth with red arms and hands and a red sash with black text on a white background

The very first Earth Day celebration took place on April 22, 1970. A brainchild of United States senator Gaylord Nelson, the occasion was framed as a national teach-in. The event drew as many as twenty million participants, through demonstrations on college campuses and in communities across the U.S. This broad participation brought attention to environmental issues and led to several important pieces of legislation for environmental protection. Today the nonprofit organization Earth Day Network organizes annual international Earth Day celebrations.