Earth Day is being held on 22nd April 2026, so let's have a look at why we celebrate it and how you can get involved this year.
Earth Day marks the beginning of the Modern Environmental Movement, which started on April 22nd 1970. Its origins were heavily influenced by the 1962 book Silent Spring, which showed the dangers posed to living organisms and helped raise public awareness about environmental issues.
In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming large amounts of leaded petrol through their cars, and most were unaware of the harmful impact it was having on the environment.
In 1969, Gaylord Nelson had an idea for a national teach-in on environmental issues. This was to show Washington that the general public was concerned for the environment and that this should be a point of focus. He recruited Denis Hayes, a young environmental activist, to organise the teach-ins and scale up the event nationwide.
The first Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans (10% of the population at the time) to take to the streets to demonstrate the impact of industrial development that had left serious human health impacts.
School Children Clean New York City's Union Square on Earth Day | Rolling Stone
Earth Day brought many people together to fight for different causes, such as campaigning against oil spills, polluting factories, raw sewage, pesticides, the extinction of wildlife and much more. These causes not only brought together activists but also Republicans, Democrats, rich, poor, farmers, and business and labour leaders.
Hot Air Over Cerritos College | Rolling Stone
This led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which led to the creation of environmental laws and regulations such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
Earth Day went global in 1990, when Denis Hayes created another campaign reaching 200 million people in 141 countries. Earth Day 1990 improved recycling efforts and helped to pave the way for the United Nations Earth Summit.
Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated to encourage change for the environment in schools, universities and communities around the world.
So how can you and your little one get involved?
Go litter picking
Enjoy a fun day out with your little ones, helping to clean up your local area. Get bin bags and gloves and go to your local park, or even organise a group of litter pickers with other parents and their little ones.
Find an Earth Day Event
Earth Day is hosting many events across the UK, such as library craft sessions, creating bath bombs in Lush, Walks in national parks and talks about how we can improve the environment for our homes. These are great opportunities to learn something while also learning something new.
Click Here to go to the events map and see what is available to attend near you.
Volunteer
Volunteer at your little one's school or nursery to help out with their Earth Day activities, or find a clean-up near you.
Get Cooking
Plan out your next meal or sweet treat, but make it completely plant-based. It’s a fun way to explore new recipes, you never know, you may find your new favourite!
Get Planting
Get your green thumbs out and plant pollinator plants to help local wildlife. Plant flowers which are high in pollen and different species of flowers to attract birds, insects and other animals. It also makes your garden bright and colourful, especially in the warmer months.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Earth Day and feel inspired to get you and your little one to get involved
Click Here for more information.