Around the world, March 20, at the initiative of the UN, Earth Day ( English is celebrated. Earth Day ). Moreover, in the calendar of international holidays there are two Earth Days – today is dedicated to the Day of Spring Equity, and the second – on April 22. The first has a peacekeeping and humanistic orientation, the second – environmental.
The date of March 20 was chosen and officially approved in 1971 by the UN for Earth Day precisely because at this time the day of spring equinox falls when the biological rhythm of the planet changes, and she goes into a new round of her development when nature is awakened and renewed. The UN appeal says: « Earth Day – is a special time designed to attract the attention of all people to the awareness of planet Earth as their common home, feel our all-terrestrial community and mutual dependence on each other ».
The founder of this Day is the famous American public figure John Morton, who launched a campaign to plant trees and shrubs in the 1840s, as part of the environmental program of every citizen of the country. Having become secretary of the Nebraska Territory, in 1872 he proposed to establish a day that will be devoted to landscaping. So came the Day of the Tree, which immediately became very popular.
Today is Earth Day – a worldwide movement of civic initiatives in defense of the planet as a common global House, combining many different events and actions, both environmental and environmental, and peacekeeping. This is not so much a holiday as an occasion to once again think about the problems of a fragile and vulnerable environment, the problems of human relations and the world around us.
Among the most popular events in the field of environmental protection and improvement held on this day in different parts of the planet are environmental exhibitions and festivals, marathons and conferences on nature, cleaning streets and territories in cities, planting trees and stopping traffic on busy streets of large cities, cultural events and concerts…
It is also worth noting that, according to established tradition, annually within the framework of Earth Day in the vast majority of countries it is imperative to call the Peace Bell, which is a symbol of peaceful life, within one minute, friendship and solidarity of all peoples, and a call to action in the name of preserving the culture and best achievements of mankind. The point of this ceremony is that during this minute, people will think about how to save the planet, how to improve life on it, to feel like residents and part of the Earth.
The first Peace Bell ( Peace Bell ) was cast in 1954 in memory of the tragedy of Japanese cities that survived the nuclear bombing, and was installed at UN headquarters in New York. It is cast from coins collected by children of all continents, orders and medals, other honorary signs of people of many countries are also melted into it. The inscription on the Bell says: « Long live the world's universal world ». Then similar bells began to be installed in other countries – Japan ( 1954 ), Germany, Poland, Turkey ( 1989 ), Mexico ( 1990 ), Australia ( 1992 ), Brazil ( 1997 ), Russia, Argentina ( 1998 ), Ecuador ( 1999 ), Uzbekistan ( 2003 ) and other countries.
Earth Day also has its own flag with the image of one of the first photographs of our planet from Cosmos. This is a sign of awareness that only through joint efforts can global environmental and social problems on Earth be solved. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the astronauts actively support this holiday. After all, they were the first to tell the world how beautiful and defenseless our planet is, and how it needs the careful attitude of all of us.