History
Celebrated every April 22, Earth Day is the largest, most celebrated environmental event worldwide. More than six million Canadians join 500 million people in over 100 countries in staging events and projects to address local environmental issues. Nearly every school child in Canada takes part in an Earth Day activity.

First launched as an environmental awareness event in the United States in1970, Earth Day (April 22) is celebrated as the birth of the environmental movement. The day involved 20 million participants in teach-ins that addressed decades of environmental pollution. The event inspired the US Congress to pass clean air and water acts and establish the Environmental Protection Agency to research and monitor environmental issues and enforce environmental laws.

In 1990, two million Canadians joined 200 million people in 141 nations in celebrating the first International Earth Day. In many countries, the global event brought pressure on heads of state to take part in the UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro to address issues such as climate change and the world wide loss of species.

In Canada, Earth Day has grown into Earth Week and even Earth Month to accommodate the profusion of events and projects. They range from large public events, such as Victoria's Earth Walk (5,000 participants), Edmonton's Earth Day Festival at Hawrelak Park (30,000 participants) and Oakville, Ontario's Waterways Clean-up (2,000 participants) to the thousands of small, private events staged by schools, employee groups and community groups.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW), in co-operation with the Workers Health and Safety Centre in Ontario, have worked together to develop materials (written and video) for both elementary and secondary school children. With the assistance of health, safety and environmental activists, they make presentations to over 50,000 students each year on the importance of Earth Day activities being every day concerns.

Celebrate Earth Day - April 22

This April 22, around the world these observances highlighted both local and world wide environmental issues. Some 6 million Canadians participated in Earth Day events which included the planting of trees and native gardens, neighbourhood cleanups, workshops and seminars, concerts, eco-fairs, parades, cultural events, waste reduction projects, the implementation/expansion of environmental programs, wildlife conservation projects, and much more.

Earth Day was celebrated in schools, community and youth groups, unions, and environmental organizations.
At a time when Canadians are concerned with the continual rise of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Canada, the Federal Government continues to stall on implementing any effective measures to deal with this threat to our environment.

Each one can attempt to make this statement a reality by reducing the amount of energy used in homes, buying food and products that are produced locally and trying to drive less.

Earth Day is a day to celebrate achievements with regard to the environment. It is also, more importantly, a day to raise the consciousness of every citizen around the world on environmental issues critical to the surviving of the planet.

The Canadian Labour Congress' theme for Earth Day 2008 is "Take Responsibility and Action to get some satisfaction".

'Take Responsibility and Action to get some satisfaction'
Our planet faces an environmental crisis of major proportions, one which could challenge our very survival. Unions around the world are striving to address this crisis, while protecting the welfare of working women and men. Attacks on environmental protection and the integrity of the Earth have turned out to be so ferocious in nature that protests and action in defense of the Earth are being carried out. The Canadian Labour Congress Environment Committee has called labour's part in Earth Day "critical participation".

Here are some ideas on which to focus:

• protest the erosion of environmental protection, the virtual destruction of environment departments at the provincial level and the demolition of the enforcement system for environmental laws and regulations;

• protest the erosion or abolition of municipal environmental protection and land-use departments, as a way of bringing EARTH DAY "back home";

• on the positive side, gather in a place that is advertised as "pesticide-free";

obtain pledges not to use chemical pesticides this season in or on:

• parks;
• highway shoulders and verges;
• public places and buildings;
• lawns and gardens;
• private businesses;
• the home; and (especially)
• schools

Interactive State of Environment Atlas of India released on Earth Day in India

On the Indian side, the Minister of State for Environment and Forest, Shri Namo Narain Meena said maintenance of the earth is of utmost importance. Addressing Earth Day Celebrations - 2008 Shri Meena said the mother earth provides for all life saving substances and valuable services. The process of economic development and changes in consumption patterns have degraded the land therefore one must put all efforts to utilize natural resources judiciously. One should observe self control in consumption and should live with modesty and compassion to protect mother earth.

The Minister of Environment and Forest and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) jointly celebrated Earth Day launching a public awareness drive to use public transport. Earth Day, which started as an occasion to express concern about the environment, has through the combined efforts to governments, grassroots organisations, and concerned citizens, evolved into a worldwide campaign to protect the global environment.

Environment Education and Awareness (EEA) division of TERI has been celebrating Earth Day along with the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) for past 11 years keeping with the belief that children are the best ambassadors of the message.

Shi N.N. Meena released the first children newsletter on environment 'The Green Crusader' and also released the 'Interactive Sate of Environment Atlas of India'. The Atlas has been designed and prepared by Development Alternatives (DA) with the support from the Ministry of Environment & Forests. This is the first of its kind in India with regular updates. It would provide accurate timely and accessible information on the state of environment to the public NGOs and decision makers. The Atlas contains thematic maps on green (forest, biodiversity, blue, water resources) and brown (air pollution) environmental issues. Shri Meena also felicitated 29 students, the State winners of the GREEN Olympiad 2007 at the Earth Day programme. The GREEN Olympiad, launched in 1999 on Earth Day (22nd April) is India's first national level environment examination for school children held annually in India and abroad with a focus on environmental concerns and needs of the present and the future.

An annual international environmental examination - GREEN Olympiad for middle and senior school students was conducted in association with the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India that culminated in the TERRAQUIZ, the first environmental quiz programme for school students on Indian television. School Health and Hygiene Programme is being carried out in the government schools of Haryana (Gurgaon, Sonepat and Panipat) and Delhi under the Yamuna Action Plan - II. workshops, seminars, training programmes and educational field trips on environmental issues were organized for teachers and students at regular intervals.