At Vangel, we’re proud to be part of a city that is so adamant about taking care of the earth. Not only are there a ton of Earth Day related events in the Baltimore area, Baltimore makes strides toward sustainability all year long.

Founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in, the first ever Earth Day was held April 22nd, 1970. As the beginning of both corporations and individuals becoming more environmentally conscious, this grassroots effort was the foundation for things like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of The Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Act. As recognition of Nelson’s hard work he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award.

Earth Day not only marks the beginnings of moving toward a more sustainable world, it’s a time to come together and contemplate our global environmental situation, as well as participate in community and global “green” activities.

Did you know:

Earth Day is one of the most widely celebrated environmental events across the globe? Earth Day is recognized in over 192 countries each year!

The first Earth Day was to protest an oil spill off the coast of California.

There are more than 20 million people and thousands of local schools and communities that participated in the first Earth Day of United States that took place on 22 April 1970.

One result of the first Earth Day was the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Clean Air Act.

Earth Day became an international event in 1971, when UN’s Secretary-General U Thant spoke about it at a Peace Bell Ceremony at the United Nations in New York City.

On the first Earth Day in New York City, the mayor shut down Fifth Avenue for use on Earth Day, and allowed it to be celebrated in Central Park.

Today, Earth Day is a time dedicated to increasing awareness about the Earth, its issues and its problems. Each year, more than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day.

On Earth Day 2011, the Earth Day Network planted 28 million trees in Afghanistan.

On Earth Day 2012, more than 100 thousand people in China rode their bikes to save fuel and reduce the CO2 emissions from vehicles.

In Panama, in honor of Earth Day, they planted 100 species of endangered orchids to prevent their extinction.

In 2014, NASA paritcipated in Earth Day with the agency’s #GlobalSelfie event, asking people to take a photo of themselves outside and post it to social media using the hashtag #GlobalSelfie.

For more Earth Day facts, check out the PBS Earth Day Timeline.

Use earth day as a time to reflect on your impact on the environment. Simply implementing something that promotes sustainability, such as a weekly recycling regiment, can truly make a difference!

Share our #earthdayfacts below and spread the word about Earth Day!













This blog was recently featured on Inhabitat!