This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, originally founded in 1970 to uplift the voices of the emerging environmental movement and raise the public consciousness about the state of our planet.
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets for a day of protest and activism. For the first time, groups that formed to speak out against oil spills, pollution, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife united around their common value – preserving our planet for future generations.
The first Earth Day sparked the modern environmental movement. By the end of 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was set up, and Congress passed landmark environmental laws like the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. In the following years, Congress passed the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
These laws form our bedrock of environmental protections in the United States. They have protected millions of Americans from disease and death and saved hundreds of species from extinction.
Earth Day sparked a movement for a new generation and brought environmental advocacy to the mainstream. On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we need to recommit to the spirit and energy of the original Earth Day as we fight to protect the planet and each other from the environmental crises we are facing today.
SEEC PAC needs supporters like you to elect pro-environment leaders to Congress who are helping advance clean energy innovation, green job creation, increased environmental protections, and policies that will address global climate change, so we can continue to move our country towards a clean, renewable future.
