Gaylord Nelson, Founder of Earth Day

The Making of the Modern Environmental Movement

Tracing Earth Day’s Origins
Earth Day was Gaylord Nelson’s idea.

During his career, he developed a strong personal and political agenda for environmental action. He earned national fame as the “Conservation Governor” for his efforts to expand recreation land and preserve Wisconsin’s natural resources. In Washington, D.C., he vowed to fight for environmental protection despite finding few allies.

In 1969, he came up with a new plan to build a political environmental agenda in Washington. While flying back from touring the ravaged landscapes of California after a huge oil spill, he read an article about “teach-ins” organized by college students and faculty to raise awareness on campus about the Vietnam War.

What if, Nelson wondered, hundreds of colleges across the country hosted environmental teach-ins all at the same time?
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