Everything to know about the holiday, its history and this year's theme
Students hold their paintings with enviromental themes as they gather on the occasion of 'Earth Day
Earth Day, which falls on April 22 every year, is the most widely observed secular holiday around the globe. It's not recognized as a federal holiday in the United States, but Americans across the country have observed it for 52 years.
While EarthDay.org underlines that we should invest in our planet every day of the year, Earth Day is seen as a prominent day of action. More than 1 billion people worldwide mark the holiday by working to both instigate climate policy change and shift everyday human behavior for the betterment of our world.
According to EarthDay.org, the group chose April 22 in hopes of maximizing student participation since it was a weekday falling between spring break and final exams. The first "Earth Day inspired more than 20 million Americans to demonstrate against the harmful impacts of industrial development on both the planet and human health, including thousands of university protests and city rallies from coast-to-coast.
