Celebrating Earth Day 2022: a global success🌱🌍
Bardiya MonzaviAs you may know, Earth Day is an international event celebrated on April 22nd in order to manifest the support the protection of our environment.
How did it all start?
In the decades before Earth Day, very little consideration was given to the environment by industries who consumed huge amounts of gasoline and contributed to major pollution and CO2 emissions. Populations around the world were unaware that this pollution would threaten their health, and had little concern for any legal and environmental consequences.
The publication of Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson in 1962, triggered a paradigm shift through the sales of 500,000 copies in 24 countries. This was the beginning the emergence of public awareness surrounding our environment, living beings that coexist alongside us. People began to realise the negative impact of pollution.
Emergence of public awareness
The student anti-ware movement in 1970 inspired Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to propose holding a nationwide environmental workshop on 22nd April, aiming to bring more attention to the consequences of the nation’s heavy industrial and personal pollution. Pete McCloskey, a Republican Congressman, was persuaded to serve as Nelson’s co-chair, bringing more public attention to their efforts. Before 1970, there were no regulatory mechanisms to protect the environment.
A young activist, Denis Hayes, was hired by the Senator to be the National Coordinator. Nelson and Hayes called the event “Earth Day“, which promptly sparked national media attention across the country.
The impact of the first Earth Day
20 million Americans started asking for increased protections for the environment on the first Earth Day. To this date, it remains undefeated as the largest single-day protest in human history. While some political protests and organised events can have a negative divisive effect, Earth Day achieved a rare political alignment and brought together different groups, sects, and ideologies who all shared a common value: implementation of measures in favour of the environment.
The now internationally recognised body, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was created as a result of the first Earth Day and served as a catalyst for environmental laws dedicated to the conservation of the environment, protection of endangered species, and reduction of air pollution.
Earth Day milestones
1990: Denis Hayes made Earth Day an international day and began organising events, mobilising 200 million people in 141 countries.
2000: Earth Day leverages the power of the internet to build both local and global conversations across more than 180 countries.
2010: 75,000 global partners in 192 countries are now engaged with Earth Day. Earth Day Network launches A Billion Acts of Green® and The Canopy Project.
2020: Earth Day marked 50 years of global activations that are now mobilising 1,000,000,000 people around the world through transformative actions for our planet.
Today: Earth Day has become an essential stepping stone on the path to protecting the planet and its environment. This great day continues to involve more than 1,000,000,000 people every year.
Earth Day and the Data Center industry
The Data Center industry is one of the world’s largest consumers of power. However, in recent years, more awareness has been generated surrounding the responsibility of our industry to be more sustainable. As such, Earth Day presents the perfect backdrop to organise discussions and debates surrounding how our industry can achieve higher sustainability metrics.
As an ESG forward company, we are pleased to be sponsoring a panel at this year’s DatacenterDynamics Earth Day Special broadcast, in which we will discuss ideas surrounding asset value recovery, extending the lifecycle of equipment, and reducing waste. Tune in live or on demand by clicking here.
