Thursday, April 22, 2021 is the 51st anniversary of Earth Day. The words and actions of the 20 million Americans who participated in the first Earth Day rallies helped convince Congress to pass the Clean Water, Air, and Endangered Species Acts in 1970. The Environmental Protection Agency also was created that year. Environmental concerns in the 1970s included air and water pollution from factories, automobiles, and commercial shipping; toxic dumpsites; and wildlife extinction.
Over the past 51 years, Earth Day has grown into a global initiative of 192 member nations. Ongoing goals of Earth Day include working to combat climate change; increasing the production and using clean energy; preventing destruction of the earth’s forests, and reducing greenhouse gas emission.
Each year, Earth Day presents a new theme or focus of action. The theme for 2021 is “Working Together to Restore Our Earth.” In this time of COVID-19, few in-person rallies and expositions will occur, but three days of onl...