In the Beginning - In 1963 former senator Gaylord Nelson began to worry about our planet. He knew that our world was getting dirty and that many of our plants and animals were dying.
He wondered why more people weren't trying to solve these problems. He talked to other lawmakers and to the President. They decided that the President would go around the country and tell people about these concerns. He did, but still not enough people were working on the problem.
The Idea Then, in 1969, Senator Nelson had another idea. He decided to have a special day to teach everyone about the things that needed changing in our environment. He wrote letters to all of the colleges and put a special article in Scholastic Magazine to tell them about the special day he had planned.
The Holiday On April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was held. People all over the country made promises to help the environment. Everyone got involved and since then, EArth Day has spread all over the planet. People all over the world know that there are problems we need to work on and this is our special day to look at the planet and see what needs changing. Isn't it great.
Today at school, I organized a pledge day. People came at lunch time to make pledges to help the earth. Over 130 people made pledges to recycle, stop littering, use less water and more.
