Earth Day

April 22, 2015

Public awareness and concern
for living organisms, the environment and public health
took a giant step forward after Rachel Carson's book
"Silent Spring" was published in 1962.

After the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill,
Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin,
decided to try to channel
the energy of the anti-war protest movement
into concern for the environment.
He then announced his idea for
"a national teach-in on the environment" to the media.

As a result, on April 22, 1970,
20 million Americans demonstrated across the nation
for a healthy environment and Earth Day was born.