Earth Day 2017 and the March for Science

Tomorrow, APRIL 22, is Earth Day.

2020 will mark the 50th Anniversary of this annual event that was first celebrated in 1970. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection.

Earth Day events in more than 193 countries are now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network.

More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world through education, public policy, and consumer campaigns.

I recall the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. I was in high school and the events I saw had a "hippie" feel, but 20 million Americans from all walks of life participated and the day is viewed as launching the modern environmental movement. The passage of the landmark Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act and many other groundbreaking environmental laws soon followed.

In 1990, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

Some of the Trump Administration's objectives and views are certainly part of the reason that this year Earth Day will also be the March for Science, a rally and teach-in on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Science isn’t Democratic or Republican, liberal or conservative. Indeed, threats to science are pervasive throughout governments around the world.

There will also be local events for Earth Day and the March for Science. The New Jersey March for Science is a satellite march that will meet outside the Trenton War Memorial in Trenton, on April 22, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. The march will be approximately a half mile to the State House Annex where a short list of speakers will give a call to action.

In the nation's capital, the day’s program will include speeches and trainings with scientists and civic organizers, musical performances, and a march through the streets of Washington, D.C. The crowd will gather at 8:00am, and the teach-in will begin at 09:00am.

Science serves all of us and its ties to the Earth and environment are many. Science is how we protect our air and water, preserve our planet, save lives with medical treatments, create new industries, puts food on our tables, educate the next generation, and safeguard our future.