Earth Day Celebrates 51 Years of Caring for the Planet’s Well-Being

Thursday, April 22 is Earth Day, and this year marks the 51st Anniversary of this environmental movement, whose relevance in society has only increased since its inception. This year’s theme is “Restore Our Earth”.

From EarthDay.org: “We are honored that the Biden Administration has decided to convene a global climate summit on Earth Day 2021. Many important environmental events have happened on Earth Day since 1970, including the recent signing of the Paris Agreement, as Earth Day continues to be a momentous and unifying day each and every year. We look forward to being a part of this historic climate summit and making active progress to Restore Our Earth.”

Earth Day was first founded by Gaylord Nelson – a senator from Wisconsin – who believed there should be a national day across the U.S. that focused on the needs of the environment.

His inspiration came from witnessing a massive oil spill along the coast of Santa Barbara, California back in 1969, and the damaging impact it had on wildlife and ecology.

The first official Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, with some 20 million Americas rallying together in streets, parks, and auditoriums across the country to demand a healthier, more sustainable environment for generations to come.

The event united those who had individually fought against oil spills, factory pollutants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, the loss of wilderness, the extinction of wildlife, and more – sharing common values and beliefs for a better planet.

In 1990, the day became a global event with 200 million people from 141 countries rallying for environmental change.

Now 51 years later, Earth Day is widely recognized as the single largest secular observance in the world, with more than a billion people commemorating the day as a day of action to change human behavior and provoke necessary policy changes.

Throughout the year, the Earth Day organization contributes to causes surrounding climate change, conservation and restoration, pollution, as well as science and education in communities across the globe.

While much has changed since the first Earth Day was celebrated back in 1970 when pesticides were killing bald eagles and soot was darkening skies across the country, challenges facing the environment never cease.

Here at The HC Companies, we’re striving to help make an environmental change in our operations, not just on Earth Day, but each and every day. You can learn more about our sustainability efforts in the production of our growing containers by clicking here.

Our fiber growing solutions are perhaps our greatest environmental achievement. Made from recycled newspapers in a closed-loop water recycling operation, they’re a durable, economical, and sustainable solution for more environmentally conscious growers and consumers looking to make a difference in their own backyard. After all, every effort contributes to the whole.