Tears for Mother Earth

Who invented the name “Earth”? Nobody knows exactly. We do know why the Earth is round. And what is happening to the Earth at the moment is something that few people care about. It was precisely on the Earth Day (every year on April 22nd) that I was chatting with an interior designer friend of mine about the state of nature on Earth. He is a man who loves colours and yet he has a gloomy view of the future. He told me that he hadn’t slept for three days after seeing the film “Seaspiracy”. He also advised me to watch “Chasing Coral” and then asked the question: why Earth Day should be an important day in our lives, but also in our work? Immediately, I thought of an Earth Day for the meetings industry!

Ever wonder how Earth Day began? The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, when San Francisco activist, John McConnell, and Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, separately asked Americans to join in a grassroots demonstration. Dealing with dangerously serious issues concerning drinking toxic water, air pollution, and the effects of pesticides, an impressive 20 million Americans − 10% of the population - ventured outdoors and protested together. President Richard Nixon led the nation in creating the Environmental Protection Agency, which followed with successful laws including the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. McConnel originally had chosen the spring equinox (March 20, 1970), but Nelson chose April 22nd, which ended up becoming the official celebration date.

Today, not only is Earth Day meant to increase awareness of environmental problems, but it is also becoming a popular day for many communities to gather together to clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature. We also know by now that the meetings industry is a major polluter on the planet and we definitely need to do more about that in the future. In recent years, I have often thought that sustainability was a hackneyed concept but after reading more about Earth Day, I realise that we are just at the beginning of a battle... and I already know the victor!

By Marcel A.M. Vissers, HQ's editor-in-chief
marcel@meetingmediagroup.com