Now in its 52nd year, Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 marking the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. Every year, one billion people from over 190 countries around the world take action for Earth Day to support environmental protection, raise awareness about pollution and ways to maintain a clean habitat.
To give a brief background on this
global event; up until the 1960s, air pollution from both human-made and natural
sources and the effects on our health was, in general, an unknown
entity. The public were unaware of the dangers until numerous public leaders,
organisations and influencers led campaigns to raise public consciousness. An
example was a bestselling book called Silent Spring published in 1962, which
sold over 500,000 copies in 24 counties, opening eyes and minds to
environmental concerns; most significantly the link between pollution and
respiratory health, as well as its impact on nature.
Air pollution can damage crops and trees in a variety of
ways. Ground-level ozone, or smog, can lead to reductions in agricultural
crop and commercial forest yields, reduced growth and survivability of tree
seedlings, and increased plant susceptibility to disease, pests and other
environmental stresses.
Throughout the sixties environmental consciousness started to
increase and, in 1970, the National Institute of Environmental Health Services
(NIEHS) established the National Ambient Air Quality Standards recognising air
pollution primarily as a respiratory health hazard. Over the next decades, as
air pollution research advanced, public health concern broadened to include
cardiovascular disease; diabetes mellitus; obesity; and reproductive,
neurological, and immune system disorders.
Air pollution exposure is associated with oxidative stress
and inflammation in human cells, which may lay a foundation for chronic
diseases and cancer. In 2013, the International Agency for Research on Cancer
of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified air pollution as a
human carcinogen.
Earth Day was founded by Senator
Gaylord Nelson in 1970 when he inspired 20 million Americans —10% of the total population of the United States at
the time – to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development
and environmental deterioration.
By the
end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States
Environmental Protection Agency and the passing of numerous environmental laws that
have protected millions of people from disease and death and have protected
hundreds of species from extinction.
In 1990 Earth Day went global, mobilising 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage. Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest honour given to civilians in the United States — for his role as Earth Day founder.
Today, Earth Day is widely recognised by more than a billion people globally every year as a day of action.
We at
Peerless-AV are uniting this Earth Day 2022 to raise awareness, celebrate the
legacy of this event and demonstrate how our Global Headquarters,
located in Aurora IL, is continuously improving corporate
environmental policies and strategies to become a better global partner for our
customers. Visit our Environmental Footprint Infographic for more information.
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