People from all over the world come together to celebrate Earth Day, an annual event in which we all show our support for the environment, and help future generations preserve the world we live in. For the last 50 years, not only have we celebrated our planet, but have also banded together within our communities to find ways to save it. This widely celebrated day makes us wonder how it came to be. 

The very first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22,1970, which practically was the beginning of the environmental movement. US Senator Nelson created this day after a massive oil spill that crucially damaged its surroundings in Santa Barbara, California. Nelson hoped that he could plan a day of environmental activism, primarily towards college and university students since he wanted their sense of community energy to get people to take notice of important environmental issues.

Senator Nelson attempted to add the environment on Congress’s agenda; unfortunately, he was told that not many Americans weren’t concerned about this topic. So, he focused his attention on college students. Students from all over the United States got together with their local communities, and peacefully celebrated what is marked as the very first Earth Day. 

Many people overlook Earth Day as a whole; it’s not a national holiday, and students don’t get a day off from school for it, so what’s the point? Celebrating Earth Day gives us a reason to care about the physical state of the world we live in. What people don’t realize is that you don’t need to plant a ton of trees in order to participate in “Earth Day” activities. The smallest gestures to help the planet can go a long way.

Whether it’s being more conscious about turning the lights and water off, not using single-use plastics, or maybe even donating a small sum to foundations that will help our environment, you can celebrate Earth Day in so many ways. Overall, You shouldn’t see Earth Day as a singular day to be kind to our environment, you should instead see it as a day that can spark a personal incentive to care more for our planet.