Events Earth Month 2026
April 22
Happy Earth Day! Earth Day has been around for more than fifty years. Take the short quiz below to see how much you already know!
A: 1970. U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin organized a national protest on April 22nd, 1970. Twenty million people demonstrated, leading to the creation of the EPA.
A: Everyone! More than 140 countries worldwide participate in Earth Day.
A: The weather. Knowing college students would form a large percentage of participants, Nelson identified the week of April 19 to 25 as the ideal convergence of college schedules and good spring weather. He picked April 22nd believing that more students would be on campus on a Wednesday.
History of Earth Day
The first Earth Day occurred in 1970, when U.S. senator from Wisconsin Gaylord Nelson helped to organize nationwide demonstrations. Nelson hired activist Denis Hayes as the nationwide coordinator. Over twenty million people showed up to demand clean air and water, forcing the government to implement regulations to protect the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created by Congress just a few months later. Nelson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Bill Clinton in 1995 for his work in environmentalism.
In 1990, Hayes organized events in 141 nations, bringing Earth Day international recognition. The Paris Accords were signed on Earth Day 2016 by 123 countries, including the United States, China, and the UK.
Earth Day today
Now, Earth Day helps to promote global consciousness about the value of our planet and the impact humans have on it. J-WAFS funds many projects relating to improving clean water and agricultural conditions. As an example of the work we do, we are spotlighting J-WAFS Fellow Adela Chenyang Li!
