An account by Robert Weir of how this international holiday actually came about. Mr. Weir along with Kevin Szawala will be featured guests on The Spicer Show this Saturday, March 19th

The original Earth Day is not on April 22 as is popularly believed but on the vernal equinox, March 20-22, depending on the year. The equinox is Nature's springtime global holiday when the northern and southern hemisphere's share sunlight equally. Earth Day was not established by Senator Gaylord Nelson as most people believe but by peace and environmental visionary John McConnell. In 1970, Senator Nelson created an "Environmental Teach-In" to raise awareness of the environment, particularly pollution. Also in 1970, John McConnell created Earth Day as a means to espouse his three-part philosophy of "peace, justice, care of Earth," stating that all three are necessary. John McConnell's philosophy establishes peace as a prerequisite for Earth care. John preached:

"Peace is not the absence of war. The absence of war is known as a truce or armistice or cease-fire, and is often a time when nations prepare for the next war. Rather, true peace comes from listening to and understanding the other person's point of view. "Justice is not an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth. That is legalized revenge based on the Code of Hammurabi and is the basis for many nations’ judicial system. Rather, true justice is an equitable sharing of the world's resources by all of the world's people. Both peace through understanding and equitable social justice are necessary before people will really begin to take care of the planet. Without peace and justice, the environmental movement is like a one-legged stool."

Both John McConnell's Earth Day and Senator Nelson's Environmental Teach-In originated in 1970, with plans for both announced in 1969. Nelson promoted his Teach-In through the media and the political system. His audience was the United States, primarily college students. McConnell worked through the United Nations and his personal international network to make Earth Day a global celebration. Nelson's message was primarily gloom -- we've polluted the planet, we better clean it up. McConnell's message was that of celebration for the "world's wonderful web of life," which he later related to the "WWW" like the internet.

There has been an Earth Day celebration at the United Nations every year since 1971 at which the UN Peace Bell has been rung by world dignitaries, including former Secretaries-General. When John McConnell announced Earth Day at a large United Nations conference in San Francisco in 1969, some of Nelson's political colleagues and staff were there. Three months later, some of Nelson's promotional material began to bear the "Earth Day" name; these included full-page ads in The New York Times and the Washington Post in January 1970. Nelson's full usurpation of the "Earth Day" name over the next five years created great confusion. Various U.S. Presidents, Congress, governors, and state legislatures passed declarations honoring both the equinox and April 22 as "Earth Day." Today, John McConnell, 95, lives a modest life in Denver, Colorado, with his wife, Anna. Senator Nelson is deceased. And the vast majority of people believe that April 22 is Earth Day.

I know otherwise. I've written John McConnell's biography, titled Peace, Justice, Care of Earth. I've researched his extensive documents, which are stored at the Peace Archives on the campus of Quaker-based Swarthmore College near Philadelphia. These papers include fascinating correspondence between Nelson and McConnell and their staffs in the late 1960s and 1970s. And that correspondence shows, as John McConnell still affirms, "April 22 is not Earth Day." Now, all of that said about the history of Earth Day, John McConnell's primary message, which I have also adopted, is that integral relationship between "peace through understanding, equitable social justice, and Earth care."

Robert Weir’s website can be found at: www.robertmweir.com. John McConnell has his own website: http://www.earthsite.org and he founded the Earth Society Foundation, a United Nations NGO: http://www.earthsocietyfoundation.org

The 2011 annual celebration of Earth Day on the March Equinox and the ringing of the UN Peace Bell is Sunday, March 20th. This year's event will be from 7-8pm, with the Peace Bell ringing at 7:21pm local New York time. The theme is: 2011 International Year of the Forests. Please feel free to share this invitation with others who might be interested in attending. The event takes place on the grounds of the United Nations, with the Peace Bell now located in the Rose Garden overlooking the East River. The UN Visitor's Entrance is at 46th Street at First Avenue.