A Fresh Take on Earth Day
by Lisa Anich
Earth Day 2020 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. On April 22nd, 1970, twenty million people across America demonstrated their support for environmental protection. Earth Day was just one of many Earth-themed activities organized by diverse grass-roots organizations in the late 1960s. Equinox Earth Day was celebrated in San Francisco and other cities on March 21st, 1970, paving the way for the United Nation’s first global Earth Day in 1971. Secretary-General of the United Nations U Thant proclaimed, “May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.”
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 'Earthrise' (Image Credit: NASA)
U Thant’s statement is a reminder of the excitement generated by the Apollo space program in the 1960s. On December 24th, 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts took a photo of Earth rising above the moon’s horizon, which has since been dubbed Earthrise. This photo gave us a breathtaking new perspective on the planet we call home. The Earth Day flag that was created for Equinox Earth Day features Blue Marble, a photo of Earth taken by the crew of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972, seen in the slide accompanying this article.
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That was fifty years ago. Is Earth Day still meaningful now? We think it’s more important than ever. The CCRCD is a non-regulatory agency that supports locally-led resource conservation. In recent years, our directors and staff have identified local opportunities to address global challenges such as climate change. Each year, the CCRCD organizes several community Earth Day events throughout Contra Costa County. We’re proud to have worked with the Friends of Alhambra Creek at the John Muir Birthday—Earth Day event in Martinez for fifteen years!
This year, the CCRCD worked with many partner organizations to plan celebrations, trash clean-ups, hikes, and garden workdays in five watersheds. Unfortunately, these events are being canceled or postponed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which is our top priority. As we meet this global health crisis, we must find new ways to connect with the communities we serve.
That’s why we’re taking a fresh approach to Earth Day this year. Instead of gathering in person, we’re offering a week of online educational activities for Earth Week. Monday, April 20th through Friday, April 25th, the CCRCD will present six different topics and at-home activities, each led by a different CCRCD staff member and geared toward both kids and adults. These programs will be interactive, so you are an essential part of this initiative!
Five decades after the first Earth Day, the vision of Earth as it appears from space still invites us to look at our world from new perspectives. This year, please join the CCRCD online during Earth Week to collaborate, innovate, and share hope for our future together on planet Earth.
This year, the CCRCD worked with many partner organizations to plan celebrations, trash clean-ups, hikes, and garden workdays in five watersheds. Unfortunately, these events are being canceled or postponed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, which is our top priority. As we meet this global health crisis, we must find new ways to connect with the communities we serve.
That’s why we’re taking a fresh approach to Earth Day this year. Instead of gathering in person, we’re offering a week of online educational activities for Earth Week. Monday, April 20th through Friday, April 25th, the CCRCD will present six different topics and at-home activities, each led by a different CCRCD staff member and geared toward both kids and adults. These programs will be interactive, so you are an essential part of this initiative!
Five decades after the first Earth Day, the vision of Earth as it appears from space still invites us to look at our world from new perspectives. This year, please join the CCRCD online during Earth Week to collaborate, innovate, and share hope for our future together on planet Earth.
