I was reading about the history of Earth Day. It is odd to think that this annual April 22 activity has been around for 55 years, and the majority of Americans were not even alive when it became a yearly event. In certain situations, looking back at history is a good reminder of how things used to be and why things required change.

Though some individual environmental protections were in place in the 1950s and 1960s, it took Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring” to spark public outcry about pesticides’ damage to wildlife and humans, especially the use of DDT –dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane — one of the first synthetic insecticides.

President Johnson signed the first Clean Air Act in 1963, addressing air pollution, but it’s the 1970 version, signed by President Nixon, that resulted in a significant shift in the government’s control over air pollution. The Environmental Protection Agency was founded to implement the more extensive policies of the 1970 Clean Air Act and Environmental Policy Act. There have since been amendments in 1977 and 1990.

At the same time that Congress was writing, rewriting and revisiting legislation, Senator Nelson and Congressman McCloskey began to organize a “teach-in” on college campuses to highlight industrial impacts on the environment initiated by the effects of a massive California coast oil spill. The co-chairs recruited activist Denis Hayes to promote events around the country, bringing attention to concerns of industrial development on human health, wildlife and the environment. The teach-in event was renamed Earth Day.

Earth Day has grown to be an international event. Community clean-ups and educational events are just a few of the initiatives worldwide. At earthday.org, online quizzes, volunteer choices, fact sheets and tool kits offer year-round opportunities.

Earth Day is more than just about the planet. It is about how we connect and help. It is about sitting at a communal table and healing our relationships with each other and Mother Earth. The need for clean air and water impacts everyone and is worthy of our continued attention.

Happy Earth Day.