This coming Monday, April 22, the United States celebrates Earth Day, an annual observance that was first and foremost intended as an opportunity to teach Americans about environmental issues, as well as encourage them to accept protecting nature as a personal priority.
Earth Day was founded in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who was serving in Congress at the time and was deeply affected by the damage to the environment he saw a year earlier during a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, according to a post on the Earth Day Network website.
Nelson, the posting continued, "was Inspired by the student anti-war movement" and "realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda."
On that first Earth Day, an estimated 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums and demonstrated for a healthy, sustainable environment in large coast-to-coast rallies. The event also achieved the rare political feat of gaining the support of both Republicans and Democrats.
Earth Day proved a cause for people from all walks of life, attracting the rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business tycoons and labor leaders. It inspired a change in the public's thinking that soon led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts.
Today, it's estimated over 1 billion people in 192 countries participate in Earth Day-related activities each year.
And one of the fundamental tenets of the modern environmental movement is that each individual makes a difference, that, no matter how small, every effort to clean, recycle or conserve makes the world that much healthier.
On the micro-level then, here are a few things people can do in their daily lives follow the Earth Day spirit, compliments of pbs.org:
Carry a reusable water bottle - According to the Dopper Foundation, 6,000 single-use plastic water bottles are thrown away every four seconds in the U.S., and only about 20 percent are recycled.
Unplug electronics after you're done with them - Many electronics and appliances, like microwaves, televisions and cell phone chargers, draw power from the plug even when not being used. According to the Stanford University School of Earth Sciences, people can decrease this so-called "vampire power" by simply unplugging devices when they are not in use, or buying a smart power strip.
Replace old incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving compact fluorescents - The EPA's ENERGY STAR program says compact fluorescents use about 75 percent less energy, produce 75 percent less heat and last at least six times as long as standard bulbs.
Bike to school or work - According to BikesBelong.org, for every one mile on a bike instead of in a car, you can save one pound of carbon dioxide, CO2.
Plant a tree - Planting a tree can help lessen pollution and provide shade to help reduce urban "heat islands" that are harmful to human health. And, over the course of a year, a single tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon, according to the Arbor Environmental Alliance.
On the other hand, if joining group activity or getting lost in a giant crowd of the environmentally-oriented is more appealing, the EPA has a detailed list of Earth Day activities held throughout the weekend as well as on the day itself, categorized by state and also city. The EPA's Earth Day events list is located at https://www.epa.gov/earthday/events.htm