Whereas Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970; Whereas the late Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, called on the people of the United States to hold elected officials accountable for failing to adequately protect the health of people and the natural environment; Whereas after witnessing years of environmental neglect, millions of Americans of all ages, walks of life, and political affiliations gathered in cities across the Nation on the first Earth Day to demand basic protections for our planet and to commit to leaving behind a healthier world for the next generation; Whereas Earth Day united people who had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage and toxic dumps, the loss of wildlife, and other environmental ills; Whereas that work continues today; Whereas Earth Day is an annual event created to promote environmental citizenship and action year-round; Whereas the first celebration of Earth Day was the largest environmental grassroots event ever held at that time and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement; Whereas the voices of inaugural Earth Day participants galvanized an unparalleled period of legislative and grassroots activity that changed the way we interact with the environment, leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and passage of legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act; Whereas by 1990, Earth Day was celebrated globally, with 200,000,000 people in 141 countries participating in Earth Day events; Whereas Earth Day encourages environmental activism around the world, and reminds people to find ways to protect the environment, including managing their own environmental impact; Whereas on Earth Day, people engage in projects, initiatives, and campaigns to protect and restore the planet including planting trees, removing litter, cleaning up coral reefs, conserving water and energy, and other environmentally responsible actions