(male narrator) April 22 is Earth Day. It is an opportunity for everyone to cherish and protect our planet. In the late 1960s, scientists realized our environment was growing weaker and less healthy.

(children) No! Many of our great modern innovations like trains, cars, planes, and factories often create pollution and waste. Conservationists and environmentalist pioneers realized that if humans weren't more careful, the planet would get irreversibly damaged and people would have a hard time living here. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin wanted to create a special day to acknowledge the state of our planet and work to keep it healthy. He proposed the first Earth Day in 1970. He chose April 22 so that students could participate during a season good for outdoor activities. Senator Nelson asked the 50 governors and the mayors of the largest U.S. cities to issue Earth Day proclamations to get people interested. Earth Day was a huge success. Senator Nelson's idea brought together more than 20 million people nationwide to support a healthy Earth. The next two Earth Days actually occurred only once a decade, on April 22, 1980 and 1990. Since 1990, Earth Day has been celebrated every year and worldwide, with more than one billion people planting trees, cleaning up trash, stopping pollution, and encouraging recycling and conservation. Things are looking up for the Earth. What do you and your community do to celebrate Earth Day?