2021 Assembly Joint Resolution 26
ENROLLED JOINT RESOLUTION
Relating to: honoring April 22, 2021, as the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day.
Whereas, Earth Day is an annual event celebrated around the world on April 22 to recognize the protection of natural spaces, water quality, and air quality; and
Whereas, Earth Day was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who proposed the idea to hold a nationwide environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970; and
Whereas, Senator Nelson insisted that the first Earth Day's activities be created not by organizers in Washington, D.C., but by individuals and groups in their own communities who best understood the value that clean water and air and undisturbed forests, prairies, and parks have or could have in their area; and
Whereas, the first Earth Day events took place in 2,000 colleges and universities, roughly 10,000 primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States; and
Whereas, Earth Day is currently observed in 192 countries and is now believed to be the largest secular holiday in the world, with more than one billion people celebrating the occasion every year, showing the shared values that environmental protections could have or have delivered; and
Whereas, in Wisconsin since the first Earth Day, despite progress yet to be had, actions taken by community groups, businesses, farmers, individual citizens, and governments have dramatically and noticeably improved environmental quality in our state, resulting in benefits to human and ecological health, our standard of living, and the state's economy; and
Whereas, this year will be the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day with events taking place in Wisconsin and across the globe in an effort to encourage our family, friends, and neighbors to preserve and restore our natural resources and protect our environment; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the
assembly, the senate concurring, That the Wisconsin Legislature honors April 22, 2021, as the 51st Anniversary of Earth Day, and encourages Wisconsinites to enjoy time in Wisconsin's natural spaces on Earth Day and throughout 2021.
