2010 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day!

Timeline

— 1969: Chemical waste released into Cleveland's Cuyahoga River causes it to catch fire. The event becomes symbolic of how industrial pollution is damaging America's natural resources.

— 1969: Inspired by the "teach-ins" held by Vietnam War protestors on U.S. college campuses, Senator Gaylord Nelson announces the idea for Earth Day, a large-scale, grassroots demonstration against the degradation of America's natural resources.

— April 22, 1970: 20 million people participate in inaugural Earth Day activities around the United States.

— 1970: Environmental advocacy group Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) founded. Today, the group has over 1 million members, a staff of over 300 scientists, lawyers and other specialists and offices in New York City, Beijing, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

— December 1970: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established by President Richard Nixon in order to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment— air, water and land. Before the agency was founded, "the federal government was not structured to make a coordinated attack on the pollutants that harm human health and degrade the environment," according to EPA.gov. Today, the organization, which is based in Washington, D.C., has over 17,000 employees, 10 regional offices and more than 12 labs.

— 1971: Environmental activist organization Greenpeace founded. Today, the group, which has campaigned against nuclear power, whaling and global warming, among other issues, has offices in 40 countries around the world.

— 1972: Congress passes the Clean Water Act, which limits pollutants in rivers, lakes and streams.

— 1973: Congress passes the Endangered Species Act to protect animals and their ecosystems.

— 1990: The 20th anniversary Earth Day celebrations go global, with participants in over 140 countries.

— 2000: Hundreds of millions of people in 184 countries celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, with a focus on "clean energy."


Information from http://www.history.com