The purpose of the first Earth Day event on April 22, 1970 was to bring awareness to the population of the responsibility for each of us to share in the protection of the Earth and it's resources.
On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, as well as auditoriums in order to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized many to raise awareness and to protests against pollution and the subsequent deterioration of the environment.