Friday is Earth Day.
Earth Day is an annual event that aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for our environment. It was founded in 1969 by peace activist John McConnell. He introduced the idea of a global holiday called “Earth Day” at a UN conference on the environment in 1969. The first Earth Day celebration was in 1970. It was quickly adopted by the United Nations. In 1971, then Secretary-General U Thant proclaimed that Earth Day should be held every year. He said: “May there only be peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.” It marked the birth of the modern environmental movement.
Earth Day is now observed in 175 countries around the world. It is one of the largest events in the United Nation’s annual calendar. Earth Day is coordinated by the non-profit Earth Day Network. They say more than a half billion people every year celebrate it. Earth Day has got countries to act together to help save our planet. The 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was the result of an earlier Earth Day campaign. Earth Day 2000 highlighted the urgent need for clean and green energy. Earth Day 2007 was huge, with an estimated billion people participating in thousands of activities. The 2009 Disney movie ‘Earth’ raises awareness of the many ways people can help our planet on Earth Day.
Sources: http://www.wikipedia.org/ and assorted sites.
CHALLENGE:
Match the following phrases from the article.
Paragraph 1
| 1. | appreciation | a. | be held every year |
| 2 | He introduced the idea of | b. | cargo |
| 3. | It was quickly adopted | c. | movement |
| 4. | Earth Day should | d. | for our environment |
| 5. | fragile | e. | a global holiday |
| 6. | the modern environmental | f. | by the United Nations |
Paragraph 2
| 1. | observed in | a. | for clean and green energy |
| 2 | the United Nation’s annual | b. | billion people |
| 3. | Earth Day has got countries | c. | help our planet |
| 4. | the urgent need | d. | to act together |
| 5. | an estimated | e. | 175 countries |
| 6. | the many ways people can | f. | calendar |
Check your answers in “THE READING” section at the top of this page.
Source: ESL Holiday Lessons: English Lesson on Earth Day