Earth Day holds historical importance. The first Earth Day occurred on April 22, 1970, over 50 years ago! Ignited by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller “Silent Spring,” Earth Day was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson and grew to be a global celebration by 1990.

When the American public’s awareness was raised to the environment in 1970, it inspired around twenty million people, about ten percent of the population at the time. They spread to streets, parks, auditoriums and more. Their fight was against environmental impacts that 150 years of industrial development had caused. 

Of the people that fueled the Earth Day movement, a large number of them were youth, especially students. Mrs. Monteleone, AP Environmental Science teacher, stressed the importance of youth holding a large part in movements. 

AP Environmental Science student Thomas Wickham noted that inclusivity as a whole is important because we all inhabit Earth and therefore should all protect it. He also stated that the youth of today must be taken into account during the celebration, since they are the generation that will be most affected by climate change.

A major concern today is climate change, the heating of the planet. Around the world, it has caused drought, heat waves, rising sea levels and more. 

Wickham stated, “If our generation does not take care of the Earth, then we risk permanent consequences.”

As Monteleone had said, “We all live here and depend on the environment,” therefore, threats to the environment impact every one of us. Due to this, she said, we must attempt to educate ourselves on ways to help and therefore be a part of the pro-environmental movement. 

To do so, Monteleone recommends visiting websites such as earthday.org and noaa.gov (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and promotes taking further action through volunteer opportunities, for instance at the Washington County Conservation District.

Wickham also believes in the importance of environmental education. As for resources, he recommends talking to the biology teachers at Trinity and taking advantage of a wide array of online resources that can be accessed with a quick search. He expressed that by teaching himself more about Earth, he is better able to take care of Earth. 

AP Environmental Science student Silvio Corso also recommends reaching out to teachers as resources. Like Monteleone, he recommends looking into local organizations. Local organizations could include local parks, such as Washington Park, where nature-based activities are held by washpaoutdoors.wixsite.com.

Earth Day provides hope that people’s attitude as a whole toward the environment will only improve as time goes on. Monteleone expressed how essential education is to continual victories. 

To her, victories that come to mind are those regarding water and air quality. Specifically, she mentioned the Clean Air Acts and their impact on southwestern Pennsylvania. 

Montelone noted the 1948 Donora smog, which occurred in Donora, Pennsylvania, killing twenty people, and causing respiratory problems for others. Although the air quality could still be better, Monteleone recognized how “there has been so much improvement” since this legislation was passed.

To Corso, victories that come to mind include the establishment of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Endangered Species Acts. 

Although these victories are great, he feels that there could be more done.

He stated, “I personally believe that we shouldn’t limit our care for Earth to one day. We do so much over that one day, imagine what we could do over a week or a month.”

As of now, it appears that no Earth Day celebrations take place at Trinity. 

However, Corso thinks there should be, expressing that, “that would be awesome.”

There are so many ways to get involved in the celebration of Earth Day. Take a stand and participate!