It was a catastrophe with terrible consequences for the environment: in 1969, more than 12 million liters of oil seeped into the sea from a well on an oil drilling platform near the coastal city of Santa Barbara, California, for ten days. More than 3,000 seabirds and marine animals died, and around 45 kilometers of coastline was contaminated. The public outrage caused by the oil spill, which received extensive media coverage in the United States, led to numerous environmental laws in the years that followed. And she inspired then-Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin to create a national day of environmental action—now known as Earth Day.
Nelson was known for his work in the environmental field. At that time, however, it was also the student anti-war movement that impressed the senator. He wanted to combine the energy of these protests with the emerging public awareness of air and water pollution. Along with Pete McCloskey, an environmentally conscious Republican congressman, he recruited Denis Hayes. The young activist was supposed to organize teach-ins on the college campus. April 22 was chosen as the day, at that time a weekday that fell between spring break and final exams. The goal was to get as much student participation as possible.
But Hayes recognized the potential of this topic and built a national staff of 85 to promote the events across the country. Now celebrated as Earth Day, 20 million Americans—then 10 percent of the total United States population—took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the effects of 150 years of industrial development that left a growing legacy with serious implications for human health. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against environmental degradation, and there were massive rallies coast-to-coast in cities and towns.
Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 175 countries around the world. In Germany it is celebrated in educational institutions, schools and universities, companies, associations, churches and at public events. A large number of organisations, institutions and municipalities are involved. This year, Google is once again dedicating a Doodle to Earth Day.
It is intended to show what each individual can do to protect the climate, for example eat plant-based food rather than animal food, don’t dry your laundry in the dryer but out in the fresh air, prefer to ride a bike rather than drive a car. The protection of nature is also a topic – planting and caring for trees and protecting insects. According to the Google Watch Blog, the Doodle’s design was made with the texture of real leaves.
Watch the video: When “last generation” climate activists block roads, angry drivers are not far away. Now a video from Linz in Austria has appeared showing how an angry driver just sits down on an activist.
Sources: earthday.org, earthday.de, “Googlewatchblog”
