Earth Day’s Fascinating Establishment

Since its start in 1970, Earth Day has become a weeklong event highlighting how human behavior directly impacts the environment. Today, Earth Day is celebrated in more than 190 countries with 1 billion people focused on protecting the environment, restoring damaged ecosystems, and living a more sustainable life, with the theme for this year being, “Invest in our Planet.”

Earth Day’s Establishment is truly fascinating. Sparked by the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin wanted to raise environmental awareness among college students similar to the attention generated by the anti-Vietnam war protests. He hired young activist Denis Hayes to conduct teach-ins on college campuses that gained the attention of 10% of the population. Hayes chose April 22^nd as the date for Earth Day as it was after Spring Break and before Finals Week as an ideal time to gain the most attention.

Earth Day, and the spotlight it has put on protecting the environment, has left an indelible mark on public policy.  By the end of 1970 the Clean Air Act, National Environmental Education Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act had all been passed. Further legislation was soon introduced to protect water quality, endangered species and to control the use of harmful chemicals and pesticides. By 1990, Earth Day expanded beyond the U.S.

As the millennium loomed, the Earth Day movement turned its attention to the growing reality of the impending climate crisis with a clear message for world leaders: urgent action is needed to address global warming. This challenge must be addressed on many fronts. One significant area of opportunity is reducing food waste and the methane it creates when it rots in landfill.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, the US wastes 30-40% of the edible food supply each year. This accounts for over 100 billion pounds of food or over $400 billion worth of food. Food waste accounts for 8.2% of total manmade greenhouse gas emissions.  The United Nations states that “Globally, if food waste could be represented as a country, it would be the third largest greenhouse gas emitter, behind China and the US”.

At Abound Food Care we are focused on collaborating with public, private, and non-profit sectors to create regional food care programs that contribute to ending both hunger and food waste. We encourage legislators and regulators to mandate reduction in food waste and the redirection of edible food to food recovery organizations that ensure it is used for its intended purpose, to feed people.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2022, and the theme of “Invest in Our Planet”, we look forward to investing our efforts in working with our partners to positively impact the environment through reductions in food waste.