Earth Day was founded to spotlight the environment, and the first celebration was on April 22, 1970. More than 20 million people in the U.S. participated. The Associated Press reported, "Across the nation, trash was gathered, streets swept, ponds and parks cleaned, trees and flowers planted" as "youth joined hands with age across the generation gap."
By the 1990s it had become an international celebration, and on Earth Day 2020, over 100 million people around the world observed the 50th anniversary in what is referred to as the "largest online mass mobilization in history."
What can we choose to do today to nurture our planet?
