When is Earth Day?

Question: When is Earth Day?

It's not always easy to remember the actual dates of holidays. It's even harder when two different events with the same name and purpose fall on different dates each year. So, when is Earth Day? You might well ask. This article will certainly answer the question: When is Earth Day? And by clicking on some of the links provided, you can learn even more about Earth Day.

Answer: "When is Earth Day?" may seem like a simple question, but the answer isn’t as easy as you might think. April 22 is Earth Day for Americans and a growing number of people in other countries--but it's not the only one. There are actually two different days designated as Earth Day every year.

When is Earth Day in the United States?
April 22 is the date most commonly acknowledged as Earth Day in the United States and, increasingly, in other parts of the world.

The Earth Day that falls on April 22 each year began in 1970 as a nationwide teach-in about the environment, which was conceived by U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson and organized by a Harvard University student named Denis Hayes.

When is Earth Day Internationally?
The other Earth Day, sometimes referred to as the international Earth Day, is celebrated at the vernal equinox (also known as the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere), which usually falls on March 20 or March 21.

This international Earth Day was established by the United Nations in 1971, a year after the City of San Francisco held the original Earth Day celebration on the first day of spring in 1970, about a month before the April 22 Earth Day teach-in that most people remember as the first Earth Day.