www.RogerWendell.com
Roger J. Wendell
Defending 3.8 Billion Years of Organic Evolution^SM

Earth Day, Earth Hour, and the Earth Proclamation

Earth Day History:

Gaylord Nelson, former Governor and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, was Earth Day's co-founder Earth Day's other co-founder was Denis Hayes, then a prominent student leader John McConnell is credited with proposing the name "Earth Day" to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in early October 1969 The first Earth Day was in 1970 Earth Day is always observed on April 22nd (Back then it was considered a convenient time for students with pleasant weather usually the norm throughout most of North America) John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club, was born in Dunbar, Scotland on April 21st (1838)!!

Click Here for my page on Earth Friendly things and ideas!

Click Here for page about Voluntary Simplicity!

Click Here for page about recycling!

For many years I ran a very small non-profit organization called Wilderness Defense. In addition to working on such issues as Two Forks Dam, the Denver Airport, and E-470 we also participated in a few Earth Day events when time permitted. Here's our application from the 1991 Denver Earth Day event...

"The overwhelming astonishment, the queerest structure we know about so far in the whole universe, the greatest of all cosmological scientific puzzles, confounding all our efforts to comprehend it, is the earth. We are only now beginning to appreciate how strange and splendid it is, how it catches the breath, the loveliest object afloat around the sun, enclosed in its own blue bubble of atmosphere, manufacturing and breathing its own oxygen, fixing its own nitrogen from the air into its own soil, generating its own weather at the surface of its own rain forests, constructing its own carapace from living parts: chalk cliffs, coral reefs, old fossils from earlier forms of life now covered by layers of new life meshed together around the globe, Troy upon Troy." - Lewis Thomas Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony

Earth Hour:

Earth Hour always takes place on the last Saturday of March from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. (Worldwide)
This event is held worldwide, annually, to encourage individuals, communities, households and businesses
to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet...

Google's home page during Earth Hour 2008

The first Earth Hour was started by the World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia) and the Sydney Morning Herald on March 31, 2007. Back then it took place between 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm and is estimated to have cut Sydney's consumption of electricity between 2% and 10% during that hour - with as many as 2.2 million people taking part. The second Earth Hour took place on March 29, 2008 between 8 pm and 9 pm local time. The idea was to turn off lights and non-essential electrical appliances for an hour - thus reducing lighting pollution and carbon emissions. The second Earth Hour coincided with the beginning of the National Dark Sky week here in America.

Click Here for my YouTube video of Earth Hour 2009 (using a wind power charged camera battery!)

Click Here for my YouTube video of Earth Hour 2010 in my neighborhood...

Earth Overshoot Day: The date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year.

Past Earth Overshoot Days: (as calculated with the National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts 2019 Edition)

December 29, 1970 December 20, 1971 December 10, 1972 November 26, 1973 November 27, 1974 November 30, 1975 November 16, 1976 November 11, 1977 November 7, 1978 October 29, 1979 November 4, 1980 November 11, 1981 November 15, 1982 November 14, 1983 November 6, 1984 November 4, 1985 October 30, 1986

October 23, 1987 October 15, 1988 October 11, 1989 October 11, 1990 October 10, 1991 October 12, 1992 October 12, 1993 October 10, 1994 October 4, 1995 October 2, 1996 September 29, 1997 September 29, 1998 September 29, 1999 September 23, 2000 September 22, 2001 September 19, 2002 September 9, 2003

September 1, 2004 August 25, 2005 August 19, 2006 August 14, 2007 August 14, 2008 August 18, 2009 August 7, 2010 August 4, 2011 August 4, 2012 August 3, 2013 August 4, 2014 August 5, 2015 August 5, 2016 August 1, 2017 July 29, 2018 July 29, 2019 August 22, 2020

The Earth Proclamation: Over the years I've linked various versions of the Earth Proclamation only to later discover those pages having expired. In early 2008 I searched around a bit and was able to communicate directly with Jean Hudon, the first to have posted the Proclamation on the web (circa 1997). Jean is the Earth Rainbow Network's coordinator and Earth Concert 2000 initiator. Although I've received permission to post the Proclamation here, you can still view it, and the Earth Rainbow Network's pages at: http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/Proclamation.htm

ANSE ST-JEAN, QUEBEC, CANADA

February 25, 1997

In preparation for the year 2000 millennial celebrations that will take place all around the world, an international effort has arisen to use this opportunity to create a sense of anticipation about the great changes that can occur for the well-being of all people and all life forms on Earth. We therefore present this Earth Proclamation to foster a more responsible vision of humanity's role for our future and ask that you help copy and spread it throughout the world.

Subject: Earth Proclamation Commitment

Personal Commitment

I, the undersigned,

aware that human activities are seriously endangering the fragile ecosystems of our planet, aware of the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots, aware of the need to redirect my energies to protect and restore the global Web of Life, decide to begin right now to rethink my ways and values, and change what needs to be changed in myself and around me.

I want the year 2000 - a symbol for a New Beginning - to be the turning point in the local and global efforts now underway to create a better world based on equality, justice and a sustainable planet - a world in which Peace on Earth prevails.

Understanding that we are all individually responsible for the kind of future we will create for our children and for countless generations to come, I will participate in initiatives, locally and globally, to transform our world and protect this Jewel of Life we call Earth.

I agree with this Earth Proclamation and personally commit myself to do all that I can to spread it throughout the world and help make our shared dream of Peace, Love and Harmony on Earth come true.

Signed on the _____ of _________ 199__

This page will remain here indefinitely. Please share it with others. You may also email your commitment by cutting the text between the above horizontal lines then pasting it in the body of an E-mail to Global Visionary. Then cut the subject line from the top of the e-mail body, paste it in the subject line, fill in the blanks and add whatever comments you'd like. Your comments are most welcomed!

If everyone reading this for the first time decides to introduce one more person, everyday, to this common goal hereby described, millions of people will have a chance to make this personal commitment by the year 2000.

If you are interested to know more about this initiative, please visit the new Earth Concert 2000 Web site and the Earth Rainbow Network page.

Thank you for your time and contribution to this common global effort.

Most sincerely, Jean Hudon

Earth Day Calendar Problems...

It has never failed to amaze me how many calendars list the most obscure little holidays yet never want to devote any ink to Earth Day! Over the years I've written various calendar publishers asking them to reconsider. This year I did something a little different by adding a suggestion about Earth Hour as well. I'll post the publisher's response (if I ever receive one!). - Roger J. Wendell March 2008

Dear At-A-Glance,

I still own and enjoy using your DayMinder brand "Executive's Weekly/Monthly Planner" each year but am always disappointed to see no mention of Earth Day (April 22nd). Although I, myself, am keenly aware of this annual observation it would be helpful if you'd list it in your DayMinder to help others remember. What the heck, your DayMinder clearly lists such important holidays like National Boss Day, Administrative Professionals Day, and the province of Ontario's Civic Holiday - so why not Earth Day? And, while you're at it, you might want to consider listing the 3rd international observation of "Earth Hour," in your 2009 edition, if you're willing to push the envelope even further!! Either way, thank you for considering my proposals and I look forward to your response...

Sincerely,

Roger J. Wendell
Golden, Colorado, USA
April 17, 2008

[Note: Even though I sent At-A-Glance this message via their on-line email form (which promissed an answer within 48 hours) I never heard back from them. For my 2010 calendar I purchased the Staples Brand version that was physically similar to the At-A-Glance but with ONE big difference - Staples cares enough that they list Eart Day!]

Google, on the other hand, has always been great about promoting anything Earth friendly or sustainable. At left is the logo they used during Earth Day 2008. And, of course, Google also paid great tribute to Earth Hour just three weeks earlier...

Click Here for my page on Earth Friendly things and ideas!

Links:

Back to Roger J. Wendell's Home Page...

Abbey | About | Blog | Contacting Me | Copyright | Disclaimer | Donate | Guest Book | Home | Links | Site Index | Solutions | Terms, Conditions and Fair Use | What's Changed or New?
Copyright © 1955 -