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Flag. The Earth flag is not an official flag, since there is no official governing body over Earth. The flag holds a photo transfer of a NASA image of the Earth on a dark blue background.]]Earth Day is a name used by two different observances held annually in the (northern) spring, both intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth 's environment. Earth Day is in the public domain and open to all persons to shape. Some grassroots Earth Day organizers seek to move the date of the observance to the Summer Solstice , to take advantage of the warm temperatures in the Northern hemisphere (where most people live) to create greater participation. [http://www.souledout.org/earthday/summersolstice/summersolstice.html Summer Soltice] Pagan Drumbeats for Summer Solstice
THE EQUINOCTIAL EARTH DAY The equinoctial Earth Day, also International Earth Day, is celebrated on the Vernal Equinox to mark the precise moment that spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere . On equinox, night and day are in equal length anywhere on Earth. Therefore, a perfectly vertical pole standing on the equator at noon during equinox will not cast a shadow. At the South Pole , the sun sets and ends a six-month-long day while at the North Pole , the sun rises and hence ending six months of continuous darkness. The .'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. John McConnell first introduced the idea of a global holiday called ''Earth Day'' at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969 , the same year that he designed the Earth Flag . The first ''Earth Day'' proclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21 , 1970 . U Thant supported John McConnell’s global initiative to celebrate this annual spring equinox event. Secretary General Waldheim observed ''Earth Day'' with similar ceremonies in 1972. The United Nations ''Earth Day'' ceremony continued each year on the day of the March equinox (20th or 21st), with the ringing of the U.N. Peace Bell at the very moment of the equinox. In 1975 the U.S. Congress and President Gerald Ford proclaimed and urged observance of ''Earth Day'' on the March equinox. :"The earth will continue to regenerate its life sources only as long as we and all the peoples of the world do our part to conserve its natural resources. It is a responsibility which every human being shares. Through voluntary action, each of us can join in building a productive land in harmony with nature." ''President Gerald Ford Proclaiming March 21st as Earth Day'' The White House, Earth Day 1975. By the President of the United States of America Proclamation THE APRIL 22 EARTH DAY ]] > In January .'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. Senator Nelson staffed the office with college students and selected Denis Hayes (a Harvard student and Stanford Graduate ) as the National Coordinator of activities. It was the era of student Political Activism and outdoor protests that attracted news cameras. The nationwide event included opposition to the Vietnam War on the agenda. Pete Seeger was a keynote speaker and performer at the event held in Washington DC. Paul Newman and Ali McGraw attended the event held in New York City. "Environment" . ''U.S. Embassy, Wellington, New Zealand.'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. According to Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council: :"The story goes that Earth Day was conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson after a trip he took to Santa Barbara right after that horrific oil spill off our coast in 1969. He was so outraged by what he saw that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth." "Earth Day" . ''Community Environmental Council.'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. Senator Nelson stated that Earth Day "worked" because of the spontaneous response at the Grassroots level. Though he felt his committee had neither the time nor resources to organize the 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated, these things did happen. According to the Senator, "It organized itself." [http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html How the First Earth Day Came About] by Senator Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day The "holiday" proved extremely popular in the United States. The first Earth Day, in 1970, had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it "brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform." ''Jack Lewis'' (November 1985). "The Birth of EPA" . '' Environment Protection Agency .'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. Senator Nelson directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental .'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. In 1971 Senator Gaylord Nelson announced an 'Earth Week' — for the third week of April — as a yearly event. Not all reactions were positive. The event caused a backlash in some quarters, particlarly among black activists. "To some critics, the environmental movement resembles a children's crusade of opportunistic politicians, zealous Ivy Leaguers, longhaired ecoactivists and scientists who speak too sweepingly and too gloomily." "The Rise of Anti-Ecology" . '' Time .'' URL accessed April 28, 2006. The event leadership fractured over the years, with Hayes and Nelson and other widely-known Earth Day leaders usually favoring more programmatic and conventional public relations approaches to the observance(s), while grassroots groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes. "History of Earth Day" . ''Earth Day Network.'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. (Hayes believes that automobiles should be banned.) " Quotes from a Collective Consciousness" . URL accessed April 26, 2006. During Earth Day 2000 , the event's 30th anniversary, actor Leonardo DiCaprio was chosen by Hayes to be the spokesperson of the event, despite the fact that DiCaprio drove a large SUV at the time and was viewed as wanting to rehabilitate his public image in the wake of Thai environmental protesters targeting him during the filming of the actor's film The Beach in 1999 which was filmed in part in a Thailand national park. Leonardo DiCaprio Gets Help from Environmentalists to Settle 'Beach' Dispute in Thailand NCDR press release The date April 22 is also the birthday of Julius Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day , a national tree-planting holiday started in 1872. Arbor Day is celebrated on the last Friday of April. It has since been largely eclipsed by the more widely observed Earth Day, except in Nebraska, where it originated. Another reading of the April 22 date understood by Earth Day organizers notes that the 1970 event took place between college students' .'' URL accessed April 25, 2006.. The April 22 Earth Day organizers told John McConnell that they chose that day because it would be convenient on the campuses at that time. ''Gary Arvidson''. "Earth Day Deception" . ''International Earth Day.'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. April 22, 1970, is also the 100 year anniversary of Lenin 's birth. Because the April 22 Earth Day also promoted Opposition To The Vietnam War and many of the protesters were aligned with North Vietnam and the Soviet Union, there are those who believe this date was chosen deliberately. Should Lenin's Birthday Be A Holiday In an April 14, 2000 interview, McConnell said that may have been the case. He did not think that Senator Gaylord Nelson chose it for this reason, however. He stated that: "In movements like this, people get mixed up with all kinds of people." ''Gary Arvidson''. "Earth Day Deception" . ''International Earth Day.'' URL accessed April 25, 2006. MISCELLANEOUS FACTS symbol]]
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