TR Robertson – Earth Day celebrations will soon take place across the nation and in many countries around the world. You can learn more about how you can help locally by attending the Earth Day events held at Vista’s Alta Vista Garden. The official designated day for Earth Day is Saturday, April 22nd, since 1970. This environmental awareness day was inspired by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970. Nelson was a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who organized national demonstrations to raise awareness about environmental issues, using the inspiration of campus teach-ins about the war in Vietnam that swept the nation in the 1960’s. Rallies took place across the country for Earth Day using teach-ins on college campuses. Nelson recruited Denis Hayes, a young activist, to organize these teach-ins. He put together a staff of 85 to promote events that brought together thousands of colleges and universities inspiring over 20 million Americans. Many of the teach-ins organized protests against the deterioration of the environment involving a number of businesses, industries, and environmental issues.
These protests would lead to the passage of the National Environmental Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Clean Air Act of 1970. Two years later Congress would pass the Clean Water Act. The next year the Endangered Species Acts was passed. By 1990 Denis Hayes organized a Global Earth Day mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries. In 1992 the UN Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro was held. Today Earth Day is recognized as the largest secular observance in the world involving more than a billion people in 193 countries.
The Earth Day web site, www.earthday.org, highlights a plethora of events, activities and goals supported by the organization. Some of the various topics you can go to and discover ways you can help the environment include the Canopy Project, Sustainable Fashion, Climate Literacy, Conservation and Restoration, End Plastic Pollution, Food & Environment and joining the Earth Day Volunteer Corps. The organization has aided in planting 100’s of millions of trees, raising over $7 billion for green school grants and getting over 36 million people to take part in a variety of clean-up events around the nation.
Vista’s Alta Vista Garden will once again sponsor Earth Day Events at the Garden. Alta Vista Botanical Gardens is open, and they are looking forward to our Earth Day Festival on April 22, 2023, from 10 am to 3 pm. This fun family day is a FREE event, and all are invited to enjoy kids’ activities, plants and food for sale, vendor booths and discover our beautiful Gardens.
The vendor application for the Earth Day Festival is now available on the altavistabotanicalgardens.org website under Events/Earth Day Festival. Vendor booth space is only $40. There are 2 ways to pay – by check or by PayPal using your credit card or debit card. The PayPal option link is available on the website. We will welcome your crafts, arts, jewelry, sweets, and business sales booths. Questions? Contact farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com (760) 822-6824
