Remembering Earth Day

I love Earth Day.

My dad was a teenager in 1968. That was a rough year. He told me stories about the Tet Offensive. MLK and Bobby Kennedy. The Civil Rights Act. A nation in chaos.

Then he’d grin and say:

“But hey, that was the same messy year that Apollo 8 carried three astronauts beyond the arms of Mother Earth’s orbit for the first time. Think of that, kiddo. We went to the moon!"

Those three brave travelers were Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders.

On December 24, 1968, they made their fourth orbit around the moon. The first humans to see the dark side of our billion-year-old neighbor.

Put yourself in their space shoes.

The moon blocked out the universe like a black hole. They lost starlight. Lost communication with Earth. Gliding through deeper darkness and silence than anyone in history has ever experienced.

Frank Borman said, “The moon is a vast, lonely, expanse of nothing.”

Jim Lovell added, “Space is black. Black. Ink black.”

Now imagine emerging from that blackness... and over the dark rim of the moon, the earth rises like a blue and green sun.

As they cleared the moon, they saw Earth suspended in the starry infinity. Half in light, half in shadow. In all that colorless void, one circle of life: us.

Jim said, “The Earth is a grand oasis in the big vastness of space."

Anders grabbed the camera, and swapped the black and white film for color. In 1/250th of a second, he snapped an image that changed our civilization.

The photo was named “Earthrise.” Humans had never seen Earth so honestly and objectively isolated in space. That photo tilted our consciousness. Scientists called it the “Overview Effect” because that view changes how you see Earth (and yourself).

Some said it showed how insignificant we were. Others said it proved how precious we were. I side with the latter. I think anyone with a kid might lean the same way.

That photo inspired the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. 20 million Americans marched to celebrate our planet. That was 10% of the population! When was the last time 10% of the nation rallied for one cause?

But they did more than celebrate. They demanded clean air, clean water, and protected lands. They were so loud that the government had to shut up and listen. That photo, that momentum, that unified voice gave birth to the environmental movement and the Environmental Protection Agency.

I love that story. I love that photo.

I don’t know if there’s any image that could unite us today like “Earthrise” did. Consumerism, technology, and social media have created a dark side of the moon right here on earth.

But maybe. Maybe we can reach the other side.

Maybe we can come through and see, on the rim of all these distractions, something real: the earth rising. Maybe our consciousness will tilt again, and we’ll gather again, and march again, and protect our home again.

Mark your calendars. Earth Day is next Wednesday, April 22, 2026.

"Earthrise." December 24, 1968,

Comments

Media Jean: There’s a photo of earth on your living room. Is that “Earthrise”?

Chip: Yeah. Every Christmas Eve, we stand in front of the photo and read the first 10 verses from the book of Genesis. That’s what the Apollo 8 astronauts did on their Christmas Eve broadcast from space way back on December 24, 1968.

Media Jean: That’s kind of a funny tradition.

Chip: Dad likes how God kept looking at Earth, and kept saying that Earth is good.

Media Jean: Well, duh.

Chip: Ha ha. God says, “Earth is good” and you say “duh”?

Media Jean: Ha ha. Maybe that can be our Earth Day T-Shirt. A picture of Earthrise and the words, “Earth Day. Duh.”

Chip: Ha ha. It is super obvious. I mean, Earth is our home, and we’re not taking very good care of it.

Media Jean: We could do a series of Earth day posters too. Like, “Earth Day. Clean Water. Duh.”

Chip: “Earth Day. Clean Air. Duh.”

Media Jean: “Earth Day. Plant Trees. Duh.”

Johnny: This is a great idea!

Media Jean: Look who’s here. The Lurker.

Johnny: Monitoring is not the same as lurking, okay? Let’s focus on these posters and t-shirts. Causes like environmentalism, they’re a goldmine!

Media Jean: “Earth Day. Buy Less. Duh.”

Johnny: Hey!

Chip: “Earth Day. Reduce and Reuse. Duh.”

Johnny: Stop that!

Media Jean: “Earth Day. Save, Don’t Spend. Duh.”

Johnny: That’s sacrilege! We’re capitalists!

Chip: “Earth Day. Go Small. Duh.”

Johnny: How dare you insult consumer culter!

Media Jean: “Earth Day. Log Off and Go for a Walk. Duh.”

Johnny: Fine! If you’re going to be like that, I’m leaving! Just throw away another money-making idea! Go ahead, see if I care!

Media Jean: Did he log off?

Chip: No, he’s still on the network.

Media Jean: This one’s just for you, Johnny. “Earth Day. Cut CEO Salaries. Duh.”

Johnny: ARRGGHH!

Chip: Yup. Now he’s logged out.

Media Jean: Ha ha. Are all capitalists so touchy? Hey, I just looked it up on EarthDay.com. The 2026 theme is “Our Power, Our Planet.”

Chip: I'm on the website now. They have a manifesto!

Media Jean: And they have activities!

Chip: I bet my dad has all kinds of ways to get involved.

Media Jean: I’m on my way over!