April 22 may be just another warm spring day for most people around the world. For those who care a little more about our planet, however, it is Earth Day, a celebratory occasion to pause to think about the natural environment. Still, the fervent green passion of the first Earth Day movement is unmatched by any iteration that followed. As Earth Day returns in 2026, we must reimagine what it stands for, shifting from a temporary celebration to a catalyst for meaningful climate action. The movement traces back to the late 1960s in the U.S., when signs of environmental degradation were slowly emerging. In 1966, a deadly smog killed over 200 people in New York City. Soon after, the Santa Barbara oil spill dumped 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, killing thousands of birds, seals, dolphins and other marine life. This marked the first time that the CIA conducted an emergency aerial filming without a national security reason, signaling a nationwide emergency. One senator who sought to mobilize public outrage over the Santa Barbara oil spill into a nationwide movement was Gaylord
