The annual holiday of Earth Day fell on Sunday on April 22nd this year.

Celebrated worldwide, the holiday was created in 1970 after the Santa Barabra Oil Blowout, which occured on Jan 28, 1969. Off the coast of San Barbara, CA, an oil well blew out dumping three million gallons of oil into the ocean, killing over 10,000 birds, sea lions, dolphins and seals. This then prompted more enviromental regulations and led to a international unity and the birth of Earth Day. The celebration of Earth Day is observed across the world and is demonstarted by doing postive and pro-earth things. Such as planting trees, growing plants, picking up trash, and an overall sense of graditude for the Earth.

The 2018 Earth Day celebration was primarily about ending plastic pollution. Earth Day Oranizers have encouraged people to learn and partake in recycling and attempt to use less plastic. Currently, 12 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans in one single year. The plastic pollutes and disrupts the life of many sea animals.

At the beginning of April, a sperm whale washed up on the coast of Spain. The whale had 64 pounds of plastic and waste inside his stomach. This prompted many people in Murcia, Spain, to launch a campaign to clean up its beaches.

“The presence of plastic in the ocean and oceans is one of the greatest threats to the conservation of wildlife throughout the world, as many animals are trapped in the trash or ingest quantities of plastics that end up causing their death,” Murcia’s general director of environment, Consuelo Rosauro stated to news reporters. Many peope in Spain are now attepting to deal with their plastic problem.

Not everyone celebrates Earth Day, but contributing to a cleaner enviroment is always good to do. As humans, we should always try to do good for our fragile planet.