Friday, April 22nd – Earth Day

Did you know the idea for Earth Day was created by Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1969? After witnessing the oil spill in Santa Barbara (CA), Nelson became passionate about promoting awareness of air and water pollution. He proposed a teach-in (seminar) at colleges and universities that caught the media’s attention. The date April 22nd was chosen since it was a weekday and it fell between spring break and final exams.

The idea transformed into the first Earth Day celebration in 1970. Dennis Hayes, an activist at the time, was recruited to be Earth Day’s national coordinator for the event. The name “Earth Day” was coined by copywriter Julian Koenig due to its simplicity.

Thus, people took to the streets to protest pollution. New York Mayor John Lindsay blocked off part of 5th Avenue to speak at a rally in Union Square. Also that year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created and the Clean Air Act was passed.

However, it wasn’t until 1990 when Earth Day went global with the help of Dennis Hayes. Today, 192 countries celebrate Earth Day with 1 billion people engaged. People can take part in numerous activities, such as cleanups, rallies and plantings, to do their part.

Environmental services companies also do their part, including:

• Managing industrial and residual waste to appropriate facilities for treatment, recycling, incineration, and disposal.
• Remediation and offsite disposal of waste associated with brownfield, superfund, and contaminated properties.As an environmental services company, Elk has served the Mid-Atlantic region for over 30 years. Below are our services that correlate with Earth Day efforts.
  • Waste Management Services
  • Energy Services
  • Health & Safety Training
  • Field Services
  • Storage Tank Management
  • Vacuum Truck Services
  • Lab Packing
  • 24-Hour Emergency Response

The environmental services industry has made many advancements to help create a healthier planet. Yet, reducing everyone’s environmental footprint remains a top issue. At Elk, we do our best to be fuel efficient and use eco-friendly products to do our part for a safe and clean environment. We wish everyone a safe and happy Earth Day!