Days Until Earth Day

About Earth Day

April 22 was first observed in 1970, credited largely to US Senator Gaylord Nelson's effort to bring environmental issues onto the national political agenda following growing public concern over pollution.

It's now marked in many countries with environmental awareness events and is widely credited with contributing to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency later that same year.

More than 190 countries now participate in some form of Earth Day observance, and the date has also been used since 2016 for major international events, including the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement on climate change that year.

Denis Hayes, the national coordinator Senator Nelson recruited to organize the first 1970 event, later helped lead the effort to expand it into the first international Earth Day in 1990.

The specific choice of April 22 was reportedly influenced by Senator Nelson's staff selecting a weekday that would maximize campus participation, falling between spring break and final exams at most American universities that year.