The Lineage of Earth Month

Tomorrow, April 19th, many of the environmentally oriented organizations from our surrounding communities will participate in a 2025 Earth Day Celebration on Newburyport’s Market Square with a variety of exhibits and entertainment focusing on the coming spring and on conserving the home we call Earth. The importance of our stewardship for our Earth has resulted in April becoming Earth Month. 

ACES has arranged for Imagine Studios to orchestrate the main stage at the Earth Day event, featuring keynote regional elected officials, guest speakers, live music, and youth presenters.

Jenny Warfield, of Abenaki heritage, a naturalist at Rolling Ridge Conference Center in North Andover, an herbalist, musician, and advocate for Indigenous rights in New England, will share insights on the native traditions we can learn from.

Singer-songwriter Meg Rayne, an environmental activist whose songs call for unity, peace, and healing of the Earth for future generations, will be presenting some of her work accompanied by Imagine Studios' founding Co-Director Kristine Malpica. An early environmentalist, Meg released a compilation CD in 1990, For Our Children, to raise money for environmental causes.

There will be FREE Christmas tree seedlings given out that you and your children can plant on Arbor Day the following week. There will also be a giant scroll for VOTING with colored dots about 15 environmental actions you want to take in the future to help our planet. They range from repurposing your old items creatively to learning more about recycling.

And if you want to "speak to power" about all things environmental, feel free to speak with local and Massachusetts state officials who are coming and want to hear from you as they celebrate Earth Day as well.

From a historical perspective, Earth Day developed in 1970 from a united appeal by many independent groups that were working against polluting factories, oil spills, raw sewage, pesticides, the extinction of wildlife, the loss of wilderness, and other challenges to a healthy environment. It also united political foes, rich and poor, farmers, city dwellers, labor, and business leaders to make a difference.

This first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the adoption of a number of first-of-their-kind environmental regulations. The Clean Air Act addressed the need for healthy air to breathe while the National Environmental Education Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act focused on other challenges. The Clean Water Act was then passed two years later.

While Earth Day’s lineage dates back to 1970, the social urge to celebrate nature in various ways is ancient. It has been around a lot longer and has been expressed in many cultural and spiritual traditions dating back thousands of years. Rain dances to the gods to end droughts have been performed from ancient Egypt to the numerous American prairie nations. In the 5th century BCE, Germanic tribes saw Spring’s arrival through a spiritual lens. As they honored “Eostre,” a goddess of Spring and the likely adapted namesake of the traditional festival of Easter, whose customs included baby hares and eggs, which have been adopted imagery in today’s Easter celebrations.

An important part of humankind’s journeys throughout the centuries has been a reverence for the gifts of nature and a desire to preserve, protect, and be grateful for them. Whatever your spiritual inclinations or beliefs, if you think about it, conserving the Earth and its creatures is important to our survival as a species. We all know that there Is No Planet B.

Please come on down to Market Square tomorrow to have fun in the spring sunlight and to celebrate Earth Day with some fellow humans, and, being Newburyport, likely with several friendly dogs as well. Bring the kids and both your concerns and your hopes for our planet to share with others.

ACES believes we can make a BIG difference together. Team members invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on April 18, 2025.

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