Earth Day is a day early each year on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the
Earth's
natural environment. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the
Earth Day Network,
[1] and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year.
[2] In 2009, the
United Nations designated April 22
International Mother Earth Day.
[3] Earth Day is planned for April 22 in all years at least through 2015.
[4]
The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by
John McConnell in 1969 at a
UNESCO
Conference in San Francisco. Earth Day was first observed on March 21,
1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of
nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation signed by
Secretary General
U Thant at the
United Nations where it is observed each year. About the same time a separate Earth Day was founded by
United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental
teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by
Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.
[5][6] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.
The 1970 April 22 Earth Day
The genesis of Earth Day is credited to Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S.
Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive
oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student
anti-war movement, he called for an
environmental teach-in,
or Earth Day, to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people
participated that year, and this Earth Day is now observed on April 22
each year by more than 500 million people and several national
governments in 175 countries.
[citation needed] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.
Nelson, an environmental and conservationist activist, took a leading
role in organizing the celebration, hoping to demonstrate popular
political support for an environmental agenda. He modeled it on the
highly effective
Vietnam War teach-ins of the time.
[7] Earth Day was first proposed in a prospectus to
JFK written by
Fred Dutton.
[8]
However, Nelson decided against much of Dutton's top-down approach,
favoring a decentralized, grassroots effort in which each community
shaped its action around local concerns.
Nelson had conceived the idea for his environmental teach-in following a trip he took to Santa Barbara right after the
horrific oil spill off the coast in 1969.
[citation needed]
Outraged by the devastation and Washington political inertia, Nelson
proposed a national teach-in on the environment to be observed by every
university campus in the U.S.
[9]
I am convinced that all we need to do to bring an overwhelming
insistence of the new generation that we stem the tide of environmental
disaster is to present the facts clearly and dramatically. To marshal
such an effort, I am proposing a national teach-in on the crisis of the
environment to be held next spring on every university campus across the
Nation. The crisis is so imminent, in my opinion, that every university
should set aside 1 day in the school year-the same day across the
Nation-for the teach-in.[9]
One of the organizers of the event said:
"We're going to be focusing an enormous amount of public interest on a
whole, wide range of environmental events, hopefully in such a manner
that it's going to be drawing the interrelationships between them and,
getting people to look at the whole thing as one consistent kind of
picture, a picture of a society that's rapidly going in the wrong
direction that has to be stopped and turned around.
"It's going to be an enormous affair, I think. We have groups
operating now in about 12,000 high schools, 2,000 colleges and
universities and a couple of thousand other community groups. It's safe
to say I think that the number of people who will be participating in
one way or another is going to be ranging in the millions."[10]
Nelson announced his idea for a nationwide teach-in day on the
environment in a speech to a fledgling conservation group in Seattle on
September 20, 1969, and then again six days later in Atlantic City to a
meeting of the United Auto Workers. Nelson hoped that a grassroots
outcry about environmental issues might prove to Washington, D.C. just
how distressed Americans were in every constituency. Nelson invited
Republican Representative
Paul N “Pete” McCloskey
to serve as his co-chair and they incorporated a new non-profit
organization, Environmental Teach-In, Inc., to stimulate participation
across the country. Both continued to give speeches plugging the event.
[11][12][13]
On September 29, 1969, in a long, front-page
New York Times article,
Gladwin Hill wrote:
"Rising concern about the "environmental crisis" is sweeping the
nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing
student discontent over the war in Vietnam...a
national day of observance of environmental problems, analogous to the
mass demonstrations on Vietnam, is being planned for next spring, when a
nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of
Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...."[14]
Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student, read the NYT article and traveled to Washington to get involved.
[15]
He had been student body president and a campus activist at Stanford
University in McCloskey’s district and where Teach-In board member Paul
Ehrlich was a professor. He thought he might be asked to organize
Boston. Instead, Nelson eventually asked Hayes to drop out of Harvard,
assemble a staff, and direct the effort to organize the United States.
[16][17] Hayes would go on to become a widely recognized environmental advocate.
[18]
Hayes recruited a handful of young college graduates to come to
Washington, D.C. and began to plan what would become the first April 22
Earth Day.
Nelson's suggestion was difficult to implement, as the Earth Day
movement proved to be autonomous with no central governing body.
[19] As Nelson attests, it simply grew on its own:
Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the
grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20
million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities
that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It
organized itself.[19]
Official Earth Week logo that was used as the backdrop for the prime time
CBS News Special Report with
Walter Cronkite about Earth Day 1970.
[20]
The April 22, 1970, Earth Day marked the beginning of the modern
environmental movement. Approximately 200 million Americans
participated.
[citation needed] Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the
deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against
oil spills, polluting factories and
power plants, raw
sewage, toxic dumps,
pesticides,
Freeway and expressway revolts, the loss of
wilderness, and air pollution suddenly realized they shared common values.
Media coverage of the first April 22 Earth Day included a One-Hour Prime-time
CBS News
Special Report called "Earth Day: A Question of Survival," with
correspondents reporting from a dozen major cities across the country,
and narrated by
Walter Cronkite (whose backdrop was the Earth Week Committee of Philadelphia's logo).
[20]
Pete Seeger was a keynote speaker and performer at the event held in Washington DC.
Paul Newman and
Ali McGraw attended the event held in New York City.
[21]
Earth Day 1970 in New York City
In the winter of 1969-1970, a group of students met at Columbia
University to hear Denis Hayes talk about his plans for Earth Day. Among
the group were Fred Kent, Pete Grannis, and Kristin and William
Hubbard. This New York group agreed to head up the New York City part of
the national movement. Fred Kent took the lead in renting an office and
recruiting volunteers. "The big break came when Mayor Lindsay agreed to
shut down 5th Avenue for the event. A giant cheer went up in the office
on that day," according to Kristin Hubbard (now Kristin Alexandre).
'From that time on we used Mayor Lindsay's offices and even his staff. I
was Speaker Coordinator but had tremendous help from Lindsay staffer
Judith Crichton."
In addition to shutting down Fifth Avenue, Mayor Lindsay made Central
Park available for Earth Day. The crowd was estimated as more than one
million—by far the largest in the nation. Since New York was also the
home of NBC, CBS, ABC, the New York Times, Time, and Newsweek, it
provided the best possible anchor for national coverage from their
reporters all over the country.
[22]
Earth Day 1970 in Philadelphia
Edward Furia (left) and
Austan Librach
(right) in a meeting in early 1970 with the Philadelphia Chamber of
Commerce, in which they raised $30,000 to fund Earth Day activities and
expose the city's worst polluters.
[23]
U.S. Senator
Edmund Muskie speaking to an estimated 40-60,000 at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia on Earth Day, 1970
Earth Day 1970 in Philadelphia gave birth to Earth Week, April 16–22. It was created by a committee of students (mostly from
University of Pennsylvania),
professionals, leaders of grass roots organizations and businessmen
concerned about the environment and inspired by Nelson’s call for a
national environmental teach-in. The Earth Week Committee of
Philadelphia concluded that devoting only one day to the environment
would not provide enough time and space to paint a comprehensive picture
of the environmental issues confronting mankind.
[24]
While all of their activities would build toward a climactic Earth Day
celebration on April 22, there would also be an entire week of events in
the week preceding.
Austan Librach, a regional planning graduate student, assumed the role of Committee Chairman and hired
Edward Furia, who had just received his City Planning and Law Degrees from University of Pennsylvania, to be Project Director.
Ira Einhorn was the
master of ceremonies for the event.
[25]
The core group from Penn was joined in 1970 by students from other area
colleges which, working together, organized scores of educational
activities, scientific symposia and major mass media events in the
Delaware Valley Region in and around Philadelphia. The Earth Week
Committee of 33 members settled on a common objective—to raise public
awareness of environmental problems and their potential solutions.
[24][26]
U.S. Senator
Edmund Muskie was the keynote speaker on Earth Day in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia.
[24][27] Other notable attendees included consumer protection activist and presidential candidate
Ralph Nader; Landscape Architect
Ian McHarg; Nobel prize-winning Harvard Biochemist,
George Wald; U.S. Senate Minority Leader,
Hugh Scott; and poet,
Allen Ginsberg.
Forty years later, the Earth Week Committee decided to make rare
photos, video and other previously unpublished information about the
history of Earth Week 1970 available to the public at EarthWeek1970.org.
Many cities now extend the observance of Earth Day events to an
entire week, usually starting on April 16 and ending on Earth Day, April
22.
[28]
These events are designed to encourage environmentally aware behaviors,
such as recycling, using energy efficiently, and reducing or reusing
disposable items.
[29]
Results of Earth Day 1970
Earth Day proved popular in the United States and around the world.
The first April 22 Earth Day had participants and celebrants in two
thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and
secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States.
More importantly, it "brought 20 million Americans out into the spring
sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform."
[30]
Nelson stated that Earth Day "worked" because of the response at the
grassroots level. Twenty-million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities participated.
[31] He directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental
legislation had a substantial, lasting constituency.
It is now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the nonprofit
Earth Day Network, according to whom Earth Day is now "the largest
secular holiday in the world, celebrated by more than a half billion
people every year."
[32]
Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action
which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.
[33]
Earth Day 20 and Earth Day 1990
Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of
environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day activities in 1990 gave a huge boost to
recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992
United Nations Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro.
Unlike the first Earth Day in 1970, this 20th Anniversary was waged
with stronger marketing tools, greater access to television and radio,
and multimillion-dollar budgets.
[34]
Two separate groups formed to sponsor Earth Day events in 1990: The Earth Day 20 Foundation, assembled by
Edward Furia (Project Director of Earth Week in 1970), and Earth Day 1990, assembled by
Denis Hayes (National Coordinator for Earth Day 1970). Senator
Gaylord Nelson,
the original founder of Earth Day, was honorary chairman for both
groups. The two did not combine forces over disagreements about
leadership of combined organization and incompatible structures and
strategies.
[35]
Among the disagreements, key Earth Day 20 Foundation organizers were
critical of Earth Day 1990 for including on their board Hewlett Packard,
a company that at the time was the second-biggest emitter of
chlorofluorocarbons in Silicon Valley and refused to switch to
alternative solvents.
[35]
In terms of marketing, Earth Day 20 had a grassroots approach to
organizing and relied largely on locally based groups like the
National Toxics Campaign,
a Boston-based coalition of 1,000 local groups concerned with
industrial pollution. Earth Day 1990 employed strategies including focus
group testing, direct mail fund raising, and email marketing.
[35]
The Earth Day 20 Foundation highlighted its April 22 activities in
George, Washington, near the
Columbia River with a live satellite phone call with members of the historic
Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb who called from their base camp on
Mount Everest to pledge their support for world peace and attention to environmental issues.
[36] The Earth Day 20 International Peace Climb was led by
Jim Whittaker,
the first American to summit Mt. Everest (many years earlier), and
marked the first time in history that mountaineers from the
United States,
Soviet Union and
China had roped together to climb a mountain, let alone Mt. Everest.
[36]
The group also collected over two tons of trash (transported down the
mountain by support groups along the way) that was left behind on Mount
Everest from previous climbing expeditions. The master of ceremonies for
the Columbia Gorge event was the TV star,
John Ratzenberger, from "
Cheers", and the headlining musician was the "Father of Rock and Roll,"
Chuck Berry.
[36]
Earth Day 2000
Earth Day 2000 combined the ambitious spirit of the first Earth Day
with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. This was
the first year that Earth Day used the
Internet
as its principal organizing tool, and it proved invaluable domestically
and internationally. Kelly Evans, a professional political organizer,
served as Executive Director of the 2000 campaign. The event ultimately
enlisted more than 5,000 environmental groups outside the United States,
reaching hundreds of millions of people in a record 183 countries.
[37] Leonardo DiCaprio was the official host for the event,
[37] and about 400,000 participants stood in the cold rain during the course of the day.
Subsequent Earth Day events
To turn Earth Day into a sustainable annual event rather than one
that occurred every 10 years, Nelson and Bruce Anderson, New Hampshire's
lead organizer in 1990, formed Earth Day USA. Building on the momentum
created by thousands of community organizers around the world, Earth Day
USA coordinated the next five Earth Day celebrations through 1995,
including the launch of EarthDay.org. Following the 25th Anniversary in
1995, the coordination baton was handed to Earth Day Network.
As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focusing on
global warming and pushing for
clean energy.
The April 22 Earth Day in 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of
the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth
Day 1990. For 2000, Earth Day had the
Internet
to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 came
around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board,
reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184
countries. Events varied: A
talking drum chain traveled from village to village in
Gabon,
Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the
National Mall in
Washington, D.C., USA.
Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an
estimated billion people participating in the activities in thousands of
places like
Kiev,
Ukraine;
Caracas,
Venezuela;
Tuvalu;
Manila,
Philippines;
Togo;
Madrid,
Spain;
London; and
New York.
[citation needed]
The Earth Day name
According to Nelson, the moniker "Earth Day" was "an obvious and
logical name" suggested by "a number of people" in the fall of 1969,
including, he writes, both "a friend of mine who had been in the field
of public relations" and "a New York advertising executive,"
Julian Koenig.
[38]
Koenig, who had been on Nelson's organizing committee in 1969, has said
that the idea came to him by the coincidence of his birthday with the
day selected, April 22; "Earth Day" rhyming with "birthday," the
connection seemed natural.
[39][40]
Other names circulated during preparations—Nelson himself continued to
call it the National Environment Teach-In, but press coverage of the
event was "practically unanimous" in its use of "Earth Day," so the name
stuck.
[38]
Earth Day Network
Earth Day Network was founded by Denis Hayes and the organizers of
the first Earth Day in 1970 and by other national organizers, including
Pam Lippe, to promote environmental activism and year-round progressive
action, domestically and internationally. Earth Day Network members
include NGOs, quasi-governmental agencies, local governments, activists,
and others. Earth Day Network members focus on environmental education;
local, national, and global policies; public environmental campaigns;
and organizing national and local earth day events to promote activism
and environmental protection. The international network reaches over
19,000 organizations in 192 countries, while the domestic program
engages 10,000 groups and over 100,000 educators coordinating millions
of community development and environmental-protection activities
throughout the year.
[41]
In observance of the 40th anniversary of the April 22 Earth Day,
Earth Day Network created multiple global initiatives, ranging from a
Global Day of Conversation with mayors worldwide, focusing on bringing
green investment and building a green economy; Athletes for the Earth
Campaign that brings Olympic, professional, and every day athletes'
voices to help promote a solution to climate change; a Billion Acts of
Green Campaign which will aggregate the millions of environmental
service commitments that individuals and organizations around the world
make each year;
[42]
to Artist for the Earth, a campaign the involves hundreds of arts
institutions and artists worldwide to create environmental awareness.
EDN mobilized 1.5 billion people in 170 countries to participate in
these global events and programs.
EDN has helped create Earth Day organizations worldwide.
Earth Day Canada
The first Canadian Earth Day was held on Thursday, September 11,
1980, and was organized by Paul D. Tinari, then a graduate student in
Engineering Physics/Solar Engineering at Queen's University. Flora
MacDonald, then MP for Kingston and the Islands and Canadian Secretary
of State for External Affairs, officially opened Earth Day Week on
September 6, 1980 with a ceremonial tree planting and encouraged MPs and
MPPs across the country to declare a cross-Canada annual Earth Day. The
principal activities taking place on the first Earth Day included
educational lectures given by experts in various environmental fields,
garbage and litter pick-up by students along city roads and highways as
well as tree plantings to replace the trees killed by Dutch Elm Disease.
[43][44]
Paul Tinari Officially Launching the Canadian First Earth Day on
September 11, 1980. Waiting to speak are Flora MacDonald MP, Secretary
of State for External Affairs, Ken Keyes, Mayor of Kingston and Dr.
Ronald Watts, Principal of Queen's University
Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in
1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they
need to lessen their impact on the environment. In 2004, it was
recognized as the top environmental education organization in North
America, for its innovative year-round programs and educational
resources, by the Washington-based North American Association for
Environmental Education, the world's largest association of
environmental educators. In 2008, it was chosen as Canada's "Outstanding
Non-profit Organization" by the Canadian Network for Environmental
Education and Communication. EDC regularly partners with thousands of
organizations in all parts of Canada. EDC hosts a suite of six
environmental programs: Ecokids, EcoMentors, EcoAction Teams, Community
Environment Fund, Hometown Heroes and the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship
Program.
History of the Equinox Earth Day
The equinoctial Earth Day is celebrated on the
March equinox (around March 20) to mark the precise moment of astronomical
mid-spring in the
Northern Hemisphere, and of astronomical
mid-autumn in the
Southern Hemisphere. An
equinox
in astronomy is that moment in time (not a whole day) when the center
of the Sun can be observed to be directly "above" the Earth's equator,
occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year. In most cultures,
the
equinoxes and
solstices are considered to start or separate the
seasons.
John McConnell[45] first introduced the idea of a global holiday called "Earth Day" at the 1969
UNESCO Conference on the Environment. The first Earth Day
proclamation was issued by
San Francisco Mayor
Joseph Alioto
on March 21, 1970. Celebrations were held in various cities, such as
San Francisco and in Davis, California with a multi-day street party. UN
Secretary-General
U Thant
supported McConnell's global initiative to celebrate this annual event;
and on February 26, 1971, he signed a proclamation to that effect,
saying:
May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.[46]
United Nations secretary-general
Kurt Waldheim
observed Earth Day with similar ceremonies on the March equinox in
1972, and the United Nations Earth Day ceremony has continued each year
since on the day of the March equinox (the United Nations also works
with organizers of the April 22 global event).
Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, and in 1978 declared:
"Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national
borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and
oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into
one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in
nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of
time, and instantaneous communication through space.
Earth Day draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way – which is also
the most ancient way – by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the
Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all
parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY
attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth
or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the
March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible,
and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate."[47]
At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the
Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations.
[48]
Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide
at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition
to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New
Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania,
Tokyo and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is
organized by the Earth Society Foundation.
[49]
April 22 observances
Growing eco-activism before Earth Day 1970
In 1968,
Morton Hilbert
and the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology
Symposium, an environmental conference for students to hear from
scientists about the effects of environmental degradation on human
health.
[50] This was the beginning of Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and students worked to plan the first Earth Day.
[51] In April 1970—along with a federal proclamation from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson—the first Earth Day was held.
[52]
Project Survival, an early environmentalism-awareness education event, was held at
Northwestern University
on January 23, 1970. This was the first of several events held at
university campuses across the United States in the lead-up to the first
Earth Day. Also,
Ralph Nader began talking about the importance of
ecology in 1970.
The 1960s had been a very dynamic period for ecology in the US. Pre-1960 grassroots activism against
DDT in
Nassau County, New York, had inspired
Rachel Carson to write her bestseller,
Silent Spring (1962).
Significance of April 22
Nelson chose the date in order to maximize participation on college
campuses for what he conceived as an "environmental teach-in". He
determined the week of April 19–25 was the best bet as it did not fall
during exams or spring breaks.
[53]
Moreover, it did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or
Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More
students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition
with other mid-week events—so he chose Wednesday, April 22.
Unbeknownst to Nelson,
[54] April 22, 1970, was coincidentally the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Vladimir Lenin.
Time
reported that some suspected the date was not a coincidence, but a clue
that the event was "a Communist trick", and quoted a member of the
Daughters of the American Revolution as saying, "subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them."
[55] J. Edgar Hoover, director of the U.S.
Federal Bureau of Investigation, may have found the Lenin connection intriguing; it was alleged the FBI conducted surveillance at the 1970 demonstrations.
[56] The idea that the date was chosen to celebrate Lenin's centenary still persists in some quarters
[57][58], an idea borne out by the similarity with the
subbotnik
instituted by Lenin in 1920 as days on which people would have to do
community service, which typically consisted in removing rubbish from
public property and collecting recyclable material. Subbotniks were also
imposed on other countries within the compass of Soviet power,
including Eastern Europe, and at the height of its power the Soviet
Union established a nation-wide subbotnik to be celebrated on
Lenin's birthday, April 22nd, which had been proclaimed a national holiday celebrating communism by
Nikita Kruschev in 1955.
In
Nebraska,
Arbor Day falls on April 22, that being the birthday of
Julius Sterling Morton,
the founder of the national tree-planting holiday that started in 1872,
which has been a legal holiday in the state since 1885. According to
the National Arbor Day Foundation "the most common day for the state
observances is the last Friday in April ... but a number of state Arbor
Days are at other times in order to coincide with the best tree-planting
weather."
[59] It has since been largely eclipsed by the more widely observed Earth Day, except in Nebraska, where it originated.
Earth Day ecology flag
Main article:
Ecology Flag
According to
Flags of the World, the Ecology Flag was created by
cartoonist Ron Cobb, published on November 7, 1969, in the
Los Angeles Free Press, then placed in the
public domain.
The symbol is a combination of the letters "E" and "O" taken from the
words "Environment" and "Organism," respectively. The flag is patterned
after the United States' flag, with thirteen
alternating-green-and-whites stripes. Its
canton is green with a yellow
theta. Later flags used either a theta or the
peace symbol.
Theta would later become associated with Earth Day, which is
appropriate due to the fact that theta is the eighth letter of the
Greek alphabet and there are eight letters in "Earth Day".
Earth Day anthem
There are many songs that are performed on Earth Day, that generally
fall into two categories. Popular songs by contemporary artists not
specific to Earth Day that are under copyright, or new lyrics adapted to
children's songs. Creating new lyrics that are easily translated into
multiple languages, and set to a universally recognized melody in the
public domain, does not appear to have been attempted.
The "Earth Day Anthem" below satisfies these requirements for a
universal song associated with Earth Day. Ludwig van Beethoven's "
Ode to Joy"
melody is already the official anthem of the European Union (in that
case purely instrumental without lyrics), the melody is widely
recognized and easily performed, in the public domain, and originally
composed for voice. Lyrics for the Earth Day Anthem set to "Ode to Joy"
[60] are provided below:
Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Now we must resolve to protect her
Show her our love through out all time
With our gentle hand and touch
We make our home a newborn world
Criticism
Writer
Alex Steffen, proponent of
bright green environmentalism,
charges that Earth Day has come to symbolize the marginalization of
environmental protection, and the celebration itself has outlived its
usefulness.
[61]
A May 5, 2009 editorial in
The Washington Times contrasted
Arbor Day
with Earth Day, claiming that Arbor Day was a happy, non-political
celebration of trees, whereas Earth Day was a pessimistic, political
ideology that portrayed humans in a negative light.
[62]
The questionable nature of companies and products involved in Earth Day related promotions has led to accusations of
greenwashing.
[63]
Earth Day 2010
Earth Day 2010 coincided with the
World People's Conference on Climate Change, held in
Cochabamba,
Bolivia, and with the
International Year of Biodiversity.
Earth Day 2012
Google Celebrated Earth day 2012 with an animated Doodle on its home page.
Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) group brings back Earth Day to human overpopulation as the main concern.
[64]
See also
![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_siHEgnYGhule2yFMgsyhiWLlV5Q-UBnylu2eJnXrqW0k2HA7KE3tkiT4McdhH0th5J27Yy9LThukN3ogDKd-4_8E4MEhzAXze0fUB2u7ROpHt918Kimg=s0-d)
Protesters attack riot police during clashes in Athens' main Syntagma square,
Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police
in central Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity rally degenerated into
violence outside Parliament, where the struggling government was to seek
support for new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default. (Thanassis Stavrakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vMVCUqchcpgl70USS_fASUkht-7XvO74W19h5N030Hox2bRj75Fvh8uty7PSqoGpXFvpol0A0wdAOTx9O7oG__XltBtd8MEvBp5A-RwjY37vPwIzTnqA=s0-d)
A Greek riot police officer kicks a protester that was trying to calm other
protesters down during clashes in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police in central
Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity rally degenerated into violence
outside Parliament, where the struggling government was to seek support for
new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default. (Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v2LrWd4ZXZKx6LGAZdF1GA23k2buqQYfoOipwpGfizLKIW4zdiXLyoTqID-S6327MSP4GPkoFkyqsjb6zoCA6rwzzH53X_6ViSB404ZX1xDu5OymSqig=s0-d)
A protester tries to cover her face from the effects of tear gas shot by
police during clashes in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday, June 15,
2011. Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday
as a major anti-austerity rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament,
where the struggling government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid
a disastrous default. (Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_veaxSCItY69LMQs7Fe2dJeaxjZbDLcp_tvJd8ydazTvXhdIbx9SqrPy98QDrV27BPbijpyYKBi1TTJfsEJDK2Jh1WPQpcGXQFxoTMRPd_zIrDykKkF=s0-d)
A demonstrator shouts slogans outside Greek Parliament during a protest against
plans for new austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's
largest labor unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist
government is beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms.
Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sv33aFcPUesz4fWgDYb1tBIMz0WNpTCW9QvRdzSRyv05DnLl9v0lKX_-xCTRDa_lMx40xtblE2Gh7mxExvTzNPYcKIpBvnN6xo_KTtQ6LdaOpKbqLS=s0-d)
Tourists run from tear gas as a demonstrator thows a stone during a protest
against plans for new austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece.
Greece's largest labor unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the
Socialist government is beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting
reforms. Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tYS7yXq6e2TEkZoOgpqf1CprpJrY2wMNMOeji-Poipf7woiCmgIbd6Becsf17vzt6G7DSqHAGLsEiZsQ2usCic0o7UY_yD6rXXuEX-8ZY1QAcMB1R-0Q=s0-d)
A protester throws stones towards a riot policeman taking cover behind a
shutter at the ministry of Finance during riots in central Athens Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas Wednesday to disperse
groups of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks on the sidelines
of a major rally outside Parliament, where the struggling government was
to seek support for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default. (Petros
Giannakouris)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tpioEozixQa6PonrNzfs7TVVKXcUSU68Aboy06wUmJigkD1rvOOuSmHPPVBL-LZPacfWM83enbhx4WrbAvWc-6Yp81dgeaBLIsycHwpNdpbMjPM_mQ3g=s0-d)
Demonstrators run away from tear gas during a protest against plans for new
austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's largest labor
unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist government is
beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms. Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v-VRsM0C2r6A3i1ryd_WwfPVv2Y2UDrsSqZ3JMXolCvj7aXwuPR5zjeFPpPss5PDWZVsSzH-Vfg7qq0U02t6kb6OaDgZnC44SUniwjPyJvofiVWvblf3s=s0-d)
Greek riot police officers throw tear gas as they chase protesters during
clashes in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. The banner
reads in Greek: 'Continuous strikes, until victory'. Hundreds of protesters
clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity
rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament, where the struggling
government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default.
(Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tiSvhk1FH7nYm33XgH6yax5Zo6lt2OOB7zukk1iBskrLCjjCunqovwTDun9PM2k_SUWR3MHbUjD2CDkylmC3WGPrbDtX-4Jb8ja1COAUJ_LjuAl5i4SQ=s0-d)
A Greek riot police officer chases protesters during riots in central Athens
Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas Wednesday
to disperse groups of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks on the
sidelines of a major rally outside Parliament, where the struggling government
was to seek support for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default. (Petros
Giannakouris)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sZB85nt46vKeNq_1dys52D8EnQ5jlp3Mo9gUHVLsyXfIOpbKLubJnSv7lhCW61FvTikrwYm2YjrU0H_2oVwBx3sHKfne99-W593mlLyR75F06oCRg=s0-d)
A demonstrator holds a petrol bomb during a protest against plans for new
austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's largest labor
unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist government is
beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms. Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u83dZgnTkXsU-5xK0E70YO7nnlasxar-ZMutPliybf7v63FPG6X0Z78iM67G-C1RAjaFQ_JLUdSUhT0F4ayCBOC37OyJzoStTuxj7RP0oiCpT5DhdrbQ=s0-d)
A
Moltov cocktail explodes near riot police guarding the Greek parliament in
Athens, June 15, 2011. Tens of thousands of grassroot activists and unionists
converged on Athens' central Syntagma (Constitution) Square Wednesday as
Prime Minister George Papandreou prepared to push through a new five-year
campaign of tax hikes, spending cuts and selloffs of state property to continue
receiving aid from the European Union and International Monetary Fund and
avoid default. Reuters![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uJYcVUASp4qh0xeqCfNdJyrciMMrIoESJI0fDZXqI6b_jgYGI1Beg02-f78lCpuHZdhhJIyiv5YU_JU1kFtN9TpHp1yBJnvmpaCpS8CmEQERsah6pFpcA=s0-d)
A Greek protester throws plastic bottles into a fire that was lit by protesters
to combat the effects of tear gas, thrown by riot police, not seen, during
clashes in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds
of protesters clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday as a major
anti-austerity rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament, where
the struggling government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a
disastrous default. (Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u-zhhK5IirI34xbuPc4Cd5LrzmWAstE-QOXsceH7CnwPV-JA6sOkFY2FDLjQIEJJ1tiyyd3BZ6OaxP2OeLNs8NMSM8iZCq1j0vylg6UbodXJpAfZDGfg=s0-d)
Demonstrators clashes with police during a protest against plans for new
austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's largest labor
unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist government is
beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms. Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_swvT8yi7xg_EP35HEunBxFiPy2KZZh3jYbSp8hxYPKdlPGoQGIgS5eKRpvN0X6NKqeGG4CSpYkIo5Ek9tvr3ubYipdevj3eb_JAIjzOLLvUYS5fHrCRmk=s0-d)
A protester throws stones towards the police outside of the Greek Parliament
in central Athens, during a rally against plans for new austerity measures,
Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest labor unions
is set to cripple public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government
begins a legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost cutting reforms
that will exceed its own term in office. Demonstrators had camped outside
parliament since May 25, 2011. (Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vDQ_A_jYfFlb5V9m2Yum8S-v1yyVuEMIB4Tem3rUwS-196VJ6R8TrHOTAr1ZdeeuQKe0C-cKCWZWFJyPnGlL7t1cfKSQaFWgcFqPs3oiAgJYqECCzN=s0-d)
A demonstrator runs from riot police during a protest against plans for new
austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's largest labor
unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist government is
beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms. Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u9DPhx5focBabNo7NMSXxvDJUQ36MfDrcUKVgSvbjCsnZxeSqC-yzbynV_xe1q1Tci1o7JuGfD0se8GQdb3g8jiIeihILyweoPhKuenDWTa8ceEOlVdVs=s0-d)
Demonstrators gather in front of the Parliament in Athens' main Syntagma
square, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot
police in central Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity rally degenerated
into violence outside Parliament, where the struggling government was to
seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default.(Dimitri Messinis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_ur7ug2C2ak9n-6zYLUPptDkaUosk2oYgiUpzixw0zyVj75zqsMc9CI-UvADHTlJ6lCbVLoYg4xQfNQGYlMvHVnqz85HZKdsrWn9hQyRbt1ZK-cRSWw6j4=s0-d)
Demonstrators who gather in front of the Parliament in Athens' main Syntagma
square point laser beams at the riot police, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds
of protesters clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday as a major
anti-austerity rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament, where
the struggling government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a
disastrous default.(Dimitri Messinis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vUNr-31LhJ_-Ihv6i_GbufsvV2RfPbAkhtAhqFn61wpcZ0dGIw-3syLtpYGfs7Svk8j5Ag-x6inlEMLsukzAv-fI_1PyzX9S3tSEvNwukaXgyGh-g5-sY=s0-d)
Demonstrators stand in front of Greek Parliament during a protest against
plans for new austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's
largest labor unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist
government is beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms.
Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t44S5O3tUEAJ6LDDCx4m8ulwYrNzpzFZY8nounH9i7RLDLtnqcUA7a8GQnuPXl0yvn9q5fGGyKXw85Jwnva0Y0BF46Ip8uPkzjSTyjj9-1NsUo4-5hTg=s0-d)
A Greek protester runs with a baton to hit a riot police officer during clashes
in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds of protesters
clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity
rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament, where the struggling
government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default.
(Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sj9tdkqylYSBTla3SujgzYyRDjpICZt6gjSbRj5Dqz83M7bkZY_bILRm8GAUWSWvzUt6kE7mnbJ2YeibL8vTBMJz2N6L6kNu8bx_mlY0JDnLV4x6zXjw=s0-d)
Police officers chase a protester during riots in central Athens on Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas Wednesday to disperse
groups of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks on the sidelines
of a major rally outside Parliament, where the struggling government was
to seek support for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default.(Petros
Giannakouris)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_sYy6UKiAe-kP45RBoPZzwMWruUuo7VIt4nFRw1qn4No2fk76q0ydohpOdHHiZxMUjSDvUTZmT-vL16xLBvMQ9e3aIOEptI_CFfatXKqXN-NfDKYezCmQ=s0-d)
Demonstrators confront riot police guarding the Greek parliament in Athens,
June 15, 2011. Tens of thousands of grassroot activists and unionists converged
on Athens' central Syntagma (Constitution) Square Wednesday as Prime Minister
George Papandreou prepared to push through a new five-year campaign of tax
hikes, spending cuts and selloffs of state property to continue receiving
aid from the European Union and International Monetary Fund and avoid default.
Reuters![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u926B1t51quxyYVVh-8CJzE2NNRTsz8C2NfaBz-yYrn-b74DJntp4kADfeZhxhsMoPeExHbatIeg39wlF6ldVKuirprPpSU9pwsjZ6SfAJrVMmvg6YZGk=s0-d)
A demonstrator argues with a police officer outside the Greek Parliament
during a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens,
Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike by Greece's largest
labor unions crippled public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government
was to begin a legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost-cutting
reforms that will extend beyond its own term in office. (Lefteris Pitarakis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uM6NsoWmrZSfam6gyJ76A_hcf7NlBuZrkRkBsuRIbjBYfKOxEUm4S4_MDlZgl_IyHeCzxts_r0dP7822R0MkZPqRT6byBMQCRFTg3o0nwk3CzAyCSJUN8=s0-d)
Police arrest a demonstrator trying to block the road to the Parliament during
a rally against plans for new austerity measures, in central Athens, Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. A 24-hour anti-austerity strike by Greece's largest labor
unions crippled public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government was
to begin a legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost-cutting reforms
that will extend beyond its own term in office. (AP Photo)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uzgaUCd-STmirFurBHCef3ahK4JuWmI8vCtER9qHd6cBsx6emIU4Ym_DHFR25hKT9KQ9dh2kf0aQd1eq2OFhlKFcbVfsa615CSqddiyXR05JQo2nRv=s0-d)
Demonstrators try to recover after police use tear gas during a protest against
plans for new austerity measures June 15, 2011 in Athens, Greece. Greece's
largest labor unions have called for a 24-hour strike, while the Socialist
government is beginning to push through legislation for cost cutting reforms.
Getty![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tzO2VwHCOwO3OZvIFJs_l9ZyLgKXSwZOE_6s0rj4zkfXfDjqXYxI2_BIvF3hC-WlESM8EWua0w4VaugTmzBt76BEdl8G85UT2NgHzu3ayQ6_e0bn-aPA=s0-d)
Demonstrators throw rocks near the Greek parliament in Athens, June 15, 2011.
Tens of thousands of grassroot activists and unionists converged on Athens'
central Syntagma (Constitution) Square Wednesday as Prime Minister George
Papandreou prepared to push through a new five-year campaign of tax hikes,
spending cuts and selloffs of state property to continue receiving aid from
the European Union and International Monetary Fund and avoid default. Reuters![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tG7fJjOvWQYy37Bsnn0B020-D7Iap-8bmjXrBN3wdF1TgwS11wamAZZUGPIkMj-GbKoupbKZeXP7xkeW9gXP_nGnr1Htal6VKE5bljbHQvWPTS9R8-_zE=s0-d)
Riot police grapple with a demonstrator near the Greek parliament in Athens,
June 15, 2011. Tens of thousands of grassroot activists and unionists converged
on Athens' central Syntagma (Constitution) Square Wednesday as Prime Minister
George Papandreou prepared to push through a new five-year campaign of tax
hikes, spending cuts and selloffs of state property to continue receiving
aid from the European Union and International Monetary Fund and avoid default.
Reuters![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_viA_0J9sTRH6LW8WbWKhxl16I3QBQITwRdXZqbrKF0LPyp33lTuB0Rx9dJaVPuqMKdSq8UmzYvqIVSNHANZYq4AFkuWKFobeCzbE08EFw6N3u6cjqHNA=s0-d)
A lone protester, covered by a plastic sheet, fixes his shoe after spending
the night at Syntagma square in front of the Greek Parliament in central
Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest labor unions is set to
cripple public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government begins a
legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost cutting reforms that will
exceed its own term in office.![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tbiwDnq50L5DzP2e5aVF5wHKwSY6LxXh9oNdN0tazu9c1yOzkbhVkQF5amAhilIaxrEDtVEq1RzUYbPaNGlojbeS68R8-eV9pT-Xl8eV5Mm3Y-_r2O5n0=s0-d)
Riot police block the entrance of the Greek Parliament in central Athens,
prior to a rally against plans for new austerity measures, on Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest labor unions is set to
cripple public services Wednesday, as the Socialist government begins a
legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost cutting reforms that will
exceed its own term in office. The banner reads "direct democracy now." (Dimitri
Messinis)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vyRpj7L41Sc0qVwC53P8ZWCPpDSkCiSPbU8craVoP4yM38PZjH0jcX4PdIEwmAVnSmJNZXAnHoNZclK27WcvzTmI0VcYMU4S4qdt2fYcoZcERB8GKRnQ=s0-d)
Demonstrators try to take cover from choking clouds of tear gas as a tent
city is seen in the background in central Syntagma Square _ headquarters
of a three-week-old peaceful anti-austerity movement _ during riots in central
Athens on Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas
Wednesday to disperse groups of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks
on the sidelines of a major rally outside Parliament.![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_s1rKSXzVkuK_Ea9XzabZXBukA9tuPcNNKoP3ivL65SErbprosJiRUy0nH7CH8-aWGEnu2EjQkitTtGNsoUQqZ8-zyDvfM4bEEB-dgEq1TonK6EH3Ik=s0-d)
Paramedics evacuate an injured protestor at Syntagma square in front of the
Greek Parliament in central Athens, prior to a rally against plans for new
austerity measures, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's
largest labor unions is set to cripple public services Wednesday, as the
Socialist government begins a legislative battle to push through last-ditch
cost cutting reforms that will exceed its own term in office.Demonstrators
had camped outside parliament since May 25, 2011.![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_u119LC7T2sK1tESobDt3O2-HiLSu1hUqn6ECHgyGWjOWnrsEPuux9u1tLYZxAKF7NClpcFiRRHVCvkBN_Rb92_IaiSTo7WrJQHTsvDsqH3sC15wVtqPw=s0-d)
Demonstrators
try to recover from choking clouds of tear gas as a tent city is seen in
the background in central Syntagma Square _ headquarters of a three-week-old
peaceful anti-austerity movement _ during riots in central Athens on Wednesday,
June 15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas Wednesday to disperse
groups of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks on the sidelines
of a major rally outside Parliament, where the struggling government was
to seek support for new cutbacks.![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tX1IPDy4o53fyfeNbaopmaZ-CAzfSts4C2kI0BIlD534Z53XuPK4vT_R5p6f9QTJzXmEjWON-k_3vMXfbhxIo96H6BxbM8goB1xDkARCJVMpqykh9dNA=s0-d)
Police detain a protester during riots in central Athens on Wednesday, June
15, 2011. Riot police made heavy use of tear gas Wednesday to disperse groups
of masked anarchists hurling firebombs and rocks on the sidelines of a major
rally outside Parliament, where the struggling government was to seek support
for new cutbacks required to avoid a debt default.(Petros Giannakouris)![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_te3pykc-Kn15M_w4CwyITBOf7lIxkT6Zt5f6bu_jVEN4F13RjQTW_ooibNbcqjyNhFP9WWIUla2uxaUR3hwaN6YVlCGuAOPQEFZbc8CKFBeSRSgi86=s0-d)
Left and right wing demonstrators fight at Syntagma square in front of the
Greek Parliament in central Athens, during a rally against the new austerity
measures, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. A 24-hour strike by Greece's largest
labor unions is set to cripple public services Wednesday, as the Socialist
government begins a legislative battle to push through last-ditch cost cutting
reforms that will exceed its own term in office. Demonstrators had camped
outside parliament since May 25, 2011.![[Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vLjvE4DM0rJplMdu1ZVk34xUNDWSdFBB0p9QBx-ZEINHBHToxla0W2fasFs_G_Aif51MDJ4p7PWFnHuUHZKJesFNj4xGQb6K1OpchpQu4Yin0TN-0wpw=s0-d)
Rioters and police scuffle as an officer tries to arrest a man during clashes
in Athens' main Syntagma square, Wednesday, June 15, 2011. Hundreds of protesters
clashed with riot police in central Athens Wednesday as a major anti-austerity
rally degenerated into violence outside Parliament, where the struggling
government was to seek support for new cutbacks to avoid a disastrous default.
(Thanassis Stavrakis)
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