April 22nd, 2021, was Earth Day for over 190 countries. Founded in 1970 by Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was created to advocate for a cleaner environment and to draw attention to issues surrounding unregulated pollution. Nelson was concerned by the lack of legal ramifications for pollution, and it became so commonplace that 200,000 deaths and 18 million respiratory illnesses were prevented when the Clean Air Act was passed that same year. 

      “The pollution was pretty bad—there weren’t a whole lot of restrictions on how a company needed to dispose of wastes, so consequently poisons were being released into the air and water with very few consequences. As a result, major cities had tremendous air pollution problems, including here in Denver,” history teacher Dawn Benish said. 

       The celebrations for this holiday 51 years ago were significant, possibly more so than the Earth Days of recent years. Granted, they didn’t have a worldwide pandemic hindering their plans, but the first Earth Day and the change it granted was more remarkable than the ones that followed. 

       “I think that the first Earth Day was more impactful just because it was empowering to Americans that the environmental destruction and unhealthy conditions they were living in weren’t inevitable. That changes could be made, that people could influence the government to pass laws and regulations against polluting companies and cars. Now, I think, Earth Day is less urgent. Americans see a clean environment so maybe Earth Day is more of a reminder or a celebration,” Benish said.

       This Earth Day Conifer student Molly Schmitt passed out reusable straws to students and posted facts about pollution around the school. By doing this, Schmitt hoped to raise awareness and make an impact on the environment by encouraging the use of reusable and environmentally friendly products.       

       “It’s harder to engage high school students, so I hope that it was memorable and students learned something or will look at using more sustainable products. It may not be a huge thing, but it’s a step towards a cleaner future,” Scmitt said.  

      Despite these efforts, what Conifer has been doing for Earth Day has not been enough. Abuse of the world and its resources has been at an all time high. Energy consumption has increased drastically over the years, and by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean. So, what can students and teachers do so that Earth Days at Conifer make a bigger difference? 

       “I think we could do maybe an environmental club,” Graciela Fischer, junior, said. “And I think through the environmental club we could do Earth Day activities, but we could also do things year round, like recycling. We could do community cleanups as well so it’s not just Conifer High School, but Conifer as a whole.”