Earth Day began 43 years ago on April 22, 1970, the result of Gaylord Nelson’s idea, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. He realized that if he could infuse the student anti-war energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda. April 22 was chosen because the majority of campuses were not on spring break and did not have final exams occurring.
On that first Earth Day, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of college and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.
The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. "It was a gamble," Gaylord recalled, "but it worked." Earth Day mobilized to a global campaign in 1990 and today the Earth Day Network has 22,000 partners in 192 countries.
King David wrote a psalm that acknowledges God as the maker of the world and everything in it.
Psalms 24:1-4
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for He founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
Three Easy Things Christians Must Do For The Earth.
1. Reduce - get rid of junk mail, pay your bills online, buy in bulk to reduce the amount of packaging, use real plates and glasses instead of paper and plastic, bring your own bag to the store, use a reusable coffee mug when buying your favorite drink, buy only what you need, and shave a few minutes off your shower.
2. Reuse - Before you buy, consider how you’ll be able to use the item in the future. Make sure it’s something that will last. Share bigger items with neighbors, family, and friends.
3. Recycle – everything you can, when in doubt – put it in the recycle bin, use recycled products, if your school or workplace does not recycle – ask why and organize the effort to get recycling in place
Christians are to worship God and care for this earth He created for us.
Genesis 1:28
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”