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When was Earth Day celebrated for the first time? Earth Day: the history and traditions of the holiday. How World Earth Day is celebrated

Preparations

On April 22, 1970, US Senator G. Nelson created a group of students who called on the population to protect the environment and maintain a favorable climate on earth. Subsequently, the student procession grew into a national movement, first in the United States, and then spread throughout the world. Now the holiday has already international significance and is a day of reminder of environmental disasters, that each person can contribute to the preservation of the ecology on the planet and be responsible for the state of the environment around him. In 2009, the UN General Assembly decided to celebrate April 22 as World Earth Day. On this day, the entire population of the planet should remember that the Earth is our common home, which must be kept in order.

Also, Earth Day is celebrated in some countries on the day of the spring equinox (March 20-21).

Happy Earth Day! She is our home.
Let it be comfortable in it.
Save the seas, forests,
The sun, bird voices,
Cleanliness of lakes and rivers,
After all, the answer is a person
For your home, for beauty
And planet cleanliness!

Earth, planet blue -
This is our common home.
We must protect him
Maintain order in it.

Let Earth Day remind you:
Nature must be preserved.
After all, without her there is no life,
You can't pollute the planet!

On Earth Day, wishes are simple -
More peace, warmth, kindness.
Take care of the planet, this is our home
Let everyone be happy in it.

The earth is our home,
So let's take care of it!
Less garbage, dirt all down,
After all, we are reasonable people!

We all need to save forests
Those that bring us fresh air,
And never pick flowers
Those that are included in the Red Book!

May all animals live in peace
After all, hunting is not fun!
May all people bring goodness to the world,
Then the Earth will definitely be saved!

Happy Earth Day! Happy wonderful day
I congratulate you heartily
After all, the Earth is our common home
Blue, green... flawless.

Let the earth always bloom
The paint of happiness with affection and love.
The sun gives more heat,
Kindness, care and health.

It's time to congratulate the whole planet,
Everyone in the world knows about it
You can't forget about this date.
Yes, we are responsible for everything!
Work on a holiday, you ask, is it possible?
And this one is possible, even necessary!
After all, making the world cleaner is not difficult!
Let's clean this world together!
When the Earth breathes freely...
... we know she can do it!
Working on holidays is not fashionable,
Cleaning still needs to be done!

Celebrating Earth Day -
Day of forests, fields and arable lands.
Heart beats with love:
"It's all native, ours!"

We love the river flood
Seas of blue coolness
For the human simple soul
This is an eternal blessing!

Prosper, my land.
Good, bloom, dear.
You are alone in the universe
Dear all earthlings!

On Earth Day, I want to wish:
Try to keep it
Clean and simple.
After all, the planet is indeed a home.

To please the birds could.
For tasty fruits.
So that the water, us, reconciles with the heat.
So that everyone can breathe calmly.

Earth Day was created in our world,
So that people can look around for a moment:
We are destroying the planet and our home,
We always avoid problems!
Let's not pollute our house
We will protect the resources of the Earth,
This doesn't take much effort:
Let's clean up our territory together
Plant trees and turn off the lights
To protect your land from harm!

Our Earth is our home,
So, we must protect it!
Let's remember this spring
That peace and tranquility is always needed at home!

Let's live in harmony
Decorate your home, creating comfort,
People, we need to love each other
Otherwise, our house is waiting for trouble!

World Earth Day is celebrated by residents of the Northern Hemisphere on the day of the spring equinox, and the Southern Hemisphere on the day of the autumn equinox. Despite this difference, the holiday falls on one date - 20 or 21. It all depends on the length of the tropical year - the time interval between two equinoxes of the same name, which does not coincide with the duration of calendar years. That is why the moment of the equinox every year forward by almost 6 hours and can fall on two adjacent dates.
In the years zero, the vernal equinox fell three times on March 21 (2003, 2007, 2011). In other years, it came on March 20.

The day of celebration was not chosen by chance. It falls on the date when the Earth is in such a position with respect to the Sun that both hemispheres from the poles to the equator are heated approximately equally, and the duration of night and day is almost equal throughout the world. This was done to draw attention to the global problems of the planet, its value and vulnerability. In the equilibrium and balance of the equinox lies the symbolism of Earth Day.

Even the ancient scientists of India, China, and Egypt were well aware of the days of the equinox. At that time, these days were considered a very big holiday. However, in the modern world, some countries attach special importance to this astronomical event. So, Muslims on the day of the spring equinox celebrate Navruz - a holiday that symbolizes the beginning of spring, prosperity and growth.

From the day of the vernal equinox, the seasons of the year change in the hemispheres: astronomical spring comes in the Northern, and autumn in the Southern, which lasts until June 21. This day is the summer solstice.

How Earth Day is celebrated

Earth Day was first celebrated on March 21, 1970. Every year on this day, the Peace Bell can be heard at the UN Headquarters in New York. It begins to make sounds exactly at the moment of the beginning of the equinox. The first time he rang on this occasion was March 21, 1971. John McConnell also initiated this event.

The meaning of the ceremony lies in the fact that for one minute, while the bell rings, people can think about what they can do to save the Earth, as well as realize themselves as its children and improve the life of all life on the planet.

Raising the flag of the Earth is another obligatory component of the celebration of this day. By the way, the flag of the planet was also invented by John McConnell in 1970. It is a photograph of the Earth taken from space.

Earth Day in Russia

In Russia, a bell ceremony is also held on this day. It has been held since 1998 at the initiative of the Soviet pilot-cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoy. The ceremony takes place at the International Center of the Roerichs, which is located in Moscow, in Maly Znamensky Lane. Over time, Earth Day began to be celebrated in other Russian cities.

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April 22 is Earth Day, an international holiday. This time can be spent both celebrating and having fun, or making decisions about what you can do for the environment.

Short story

For the first time, Earth Day was celebrated twice in 1970: on April 21 and 22. The organizers of this holiday were John McConnell and US Senator Gaylord Nelson.


Over time, the holiday has become more popular. In 1992, a summit dedicated to the environment was held in Rio de Janeiro. The conference, organized by the UN, was held from 3 to 14 June.


By this time, millions of people around the world recognized and began to celebrate this holiday. Earth Day is dedicated to nature, discussing environmental issues, exploring the possibilities of saving the planet from the harmful effects of people, conveying a message to the world that the planet should be taken care of.

What should Earth Day do?

Think about how you live. Are the decisions you make in line with your lifestyle? And if not, what can be done to make it happen? It's up to you to help the environment. There are many ways to do this. What should be your focus next year? What are some of your strengths that you can use to get others to be more mindful of nature?


If you are a leader by nature, you can become the very lever that will inspire others to take action. Or you can lead by setting a good example.


What issues do you know least about? Learn about the most pressing environmental issues and direct your efforts to solve them. Devote this day to decisions that will affect the entire next year. Another way to celebrate Earth Day is to have fun, communicate,.

Where is Earth Day celebrated?

Earth Day celebrations are held in many countries of the world: USA, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Australia, Mongolia, Philippines, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador and Uzbekistan.


In many large cities, the celebration is not limited to one day, but stretches over a week. Earth Week usually runs from April 16 to April 22.


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In world practice, there are at least two holidays called Earth Day, and they are celebrated on March 20 and April 22. The difference between them, although barely noticeable, is there. The one that is celebrated on March 20 is peacekeeping and humanistic in nature. And Earth Day on April 22 is more of an environmental focus, and is designed to draw the attention of the planet's population to the need to protect and preserve the environment.

Earth Day was first approved in 1971 by the UN. The date, March 20, was not chosen by chance - this time falls on the day of the vernal equinox, when the planet moves to a new rhythm of life, blooms and renews itself. In the UN address, the following words are heard: "Earth Day is a time to draw people's attention to the awareness of planet Earth as their common home."

© Sputnik / RIA Novosti

And although the holiday was established only half a century ago, its history is much older. The founder of Earth Day is considered to be the American John Morton, who in 1840 launched a tree planting campaign. And when, for his active citizenship, he was appointed Secretary of State of Nebraska, he decided to establish a special gardening holiday called Tree Day. This holiday became the ancestor of Earth Day.

Symbolism of Earth Day

The view of the globe from space against a dark blue background is considered an unspoken symbol of Earth Day. Interestingly, the photo of the Earth on the holiday flag was taken in 1972 by the astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission on their way to the Moon.

Another interesting attribute of Earth Day is the Peace Bell. In different countries, on March 20, according to the old tradition, they ring the bell, thus calling on the inhabitants of the planet to solidarity, peace and the preservation of the beauty of the Earth. The first Bell was cast in the middle of the last century in New York from coins collected by children from all over the world. It is engraved with the inscription: "Long live universal peace in the world." Similar bells have been installed in Germany, Australia, Canada and other countries.

Earth Day in Russia

In the Russian Federation, Earth Day has been celebrated since 1998 at the suggestion of cosmonaut and Hero of the Soviet Union Berezovy. The official opening of the first Earth Day in Moscow was attended by the son of the legendary academician Pyotr Kapitsa, the Soviet physicist Sergei Kapitsa. In his speech, he noted that Earth Day is a day of responsibility to the Earth and to nature, of which people are a part.

Meaning of Earth Day

Immersed in daily responsibilities and worries, in pursuit of financial well-being, we almost never think about what incredible wealth we have simply because we were lucky to be born on planet Earth. There are countless planets in the Universe, but it is reliably known that none of them has life in any form.

At the same time, in just 500 years, due to the consumer attitude of man to his native planet, 322 species of mammals, fish and birds were destroyed. Every year, due to industrial tree cutting, the planet loses 18.7 million acres of forests, or 27 football fields every minute. In the Amazon alone, 17 percent of the jungle has been irrevocably destroyed in the past 50 years.

© AP Photo / Channi Anand

The forest is the main source of vital oxygen on Earth. Deforestation leads not only to a regular decrease in the level of oxygen, but also to an increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide. Studies show that human industrial activity has led to an unprecedented jump in carbon dioxide levels on Earth - the highest in half a million years. In fact, the Earth begins to "suffocate", and the sharp increase in the number of cancers, natural disasters and rising temperatures on the planet are an indicator of this.

If this trend continues, the Earth's atmosphere will not return to normal even after tens of thousands of years. And if an apocalypse happens on Earth, it will most likely be the work of man.

The initiative members of the UN again came up with a new holiday for all earthlings. This time we are talking about Earth Day, which is celebrated on our planet on March 20th. True, with a small caveat. In fact, two holidays with the same name can be found on the calendar at once, one of which is a UN initiative that falls on the day of the vernal equinox, and the second -.

Two holidays, one goal

In fact, Earth Day 2019 at the UN and the second holiday dedicated to the planet have two different tasks, but, nevertheless, they have a common essence. The first holiday acts with a peacekeeping mission and plans to reconcile all earthlings, and the second with an ecological one and also puts the world at the forefront, but this time earthlings with mother nature.

History of creation

As mentioned above, Earth Day on March 20 was chosen by the UN not by chance and falls on the day of the vernal equinox. That is exactly what the UN Assembly assessors decided in 1971. It turns out that on this day, not only day equals night, but also great changes occur in the biorhythm of the planet, nature gradually wakes up and renews itself, and a new round in the development of the Earth takes place. And that means all of humanity. As stated in the official UN resolution, which embodies the Earth Day holiday, March 20 is an unusual day, and together with the renewal of nature, people, as an integral part of it, should think on a global scale that we cannot live without the Earth, and it is calm without us cost. We must understand this and live with nature in peace and harmony. This means that an endless arms race, local conflicts and the barbaric use of the planet's resources should not be at the head of the existence of mankind.

First Earth Day

The Earth Day holiday was invented by the American public figure John Morton. He was clearly ahead of his time, because he declared the importance of a planetary, unifying day back in 1840. He was not a demagogue and did not start all this for populist reasons. He immediately began to implement his idea and organized a campaign aimed at replenishing natural resources. I started with a simple one - planted trees and shrubs. Later, when John came to success and led Nebraska, he made an annual day of gardening and it's not about dollars at all. The new holiday, or rather Earth Day of the late 19th century, was called Tree Day and gained great popularity among Nebraska residents. The very first holiday from a simple tree planting campaign grew into a mass social movement that still exists today. Moulton's ideas developed throughout the twentieth century and embodied in the idea of ​​the UN in 1970, when earth day received an official registration in the international calendar of important dates.

Earth is our home

There are two ideas of globalism in the world and, what is most interesting, people from both camps oppose each other. The first idea is a global market, economy, multinational companies, gigantic production and the transformation of the Earth's resources into a source of trade and income. On the other hand, they are the same globalists, but advocating the rejection of modern, barbaric strategies that are devastating the planet. They stand for the Earth as one big global home, where there should be enough space for life, and therefore resources for everyone. These globalists, and in fact anti-globalists, are sharply against money, the increase in capital, the suffering of some for the sake of the interests of others. In fact, these are idealists who come forward with revolutionary ideas as old as the world that have been hovering in society for the past few hundred years.

To the world - the world, to the Earth - the earth

The struggle for global peace throughout the world and for everyone in the world, as it is logical to assume, is peaceful. On Earth Day, different cities host environmental exhibitions, conferences, historical forums and various other events that unite people under a common denominator. They remember the very first traditions that have gone since the Day of the Tree, and continue the glorious work of John Morton, planting trees, restoring soil structure and cleaning rivers from pollution.

For whom the Bell Tolls?

Another Earth Day tradition that dates back to 2008 is to ring the peace bell. It brings people together, emphasizing their homogeneity, solidarity and community. The ringing of the bell sounds like a call to action, like a command for the inhabitants of the Earth that it is time to pay attention to the problems of our common home. The very first peace bell was cast in memory of the bombing of Japanese cities. The material for it was coins collected by children from all over the world. On this bell is engraved an inscription that should be carried through the minds of people along with its ringing - long live world peace, universal and indestructible.

Earth Day 2018 is an event celebrated annually on April 22nd. This is a day that demonstrates and promotes environmental awareness and calls for the protection of our planet. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 193 countries every year.

Earth Day 2018 scenario of an ecological holiday, what date: the history of Earth Day

The equinox is celebrated on the March equinox (around March 20) to mark the exact moment of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere and astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. An equinox in astronomy is that point in time (not a whole day) when the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year.

The history of the origin of the holiday "Earth Day" dates back to 1970, when it was first celebrated. The holiday was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet, as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of clean air, water and soil pollution. The first Earth Day celebrations were held at 2,000 colleges and universities, approximately 10,000 elementary and high schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States.

As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and raising environmental concerns on the world stage. In 1995, President Bill Clinton awarded Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (the highest honor given to civilians in the United States) for his role as the founder of Earth Day. Today, the holiday is observed in 192 countries and is coordinated by the non-profit Earth Day Network.

Earth Day 2018 scenario of an ecological holiday, what date: Earth Day traditions

Traditionally, Earth Day is seen as a time of environmental consciousness and awareness. It is usually celebrated with outdoor cleanups where individuals or groups perform "acts of service on the ground" such as planting trees, collecting road debris, and running various recycling programs.

Some people are encouraged to sign petitions to governments calling for stronger or more immediate action to stop global warming and destroy the environment. Television stations often broadcast programs on environmental issues.

Earth Day 2018 scenario of an ecological holiday, what date: when is Earth Day 2018

While Earth Day has undoubtedly gained a lot of supporters over the past few decades, it is not considered an official public holiday. If Earth Day falls on a weekday, schools, banks, and government offices are still open. However, in some environmental sectors, some employers give their employees a day off or hold celebrations at work.

Earth Day 2018 falls on April 22, annually. The date on which the holiday falls remains the same, but the day of the week changes every year.

While Earth Day may have inspired activism and protests, the holiday is celebrated in many ways. Garbage collection and recycling events are also often organized on Earth Day.

Many interesting events take place on this holiday. Some facts may be called negative, but the overall message about Earth Day is positive. People are encouraged to celebrate the holiday in their own way, but the fact is that everyone can contribute to the environment by making small changes in their lifestyle.