Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: April 7, 2026 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-e <br /> SUBJECT: Earth Day Proclamation <br /> DEPARTMENT: Environment, Agriculture, Parks <br /> and Recreation (DEAPR) <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Proclamation David Stancil, 245-2522 <br /> Marabeth Carr, 245-2516 <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation designating April 22, 2026, as Earth Day in Orange <br /> County. <br /> BACKGROUND: Earth Day was founded in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as a <br /> national "teach-in" on the environment, prompted by growing concern over industrial pollution <br /> and a massive 1969 Santa Barbara, CA oil spill. Held on April 22, 1970, it united 20 million <br /> Americans in rallies, leading to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the <br /> Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. The date of April 22 was <br /> chosen to maximize student participation, falling between spring break and final exams. <br /> Today, over 1 billion people in more than 193 countries participate in Earth Day activities, <br /> making it the largest secular civic event in the world. The global theme for Earth Day 2026 is <br /> "Our Power, Our Planet." <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this item. <br /> ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PLAN: This item supports: <br /> • GOAL 1: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND CLIMATE ACTION <br /> OBJECTIVE 7. Conserve and protect high-priority open space, including Natural <br /> Heritage sites, nature preserves, watershed riparian buffers, and prime/threatened <br /> farmland. Identify the priorities and resources necessary to implement the Climate <br /> Action Plan. <br /> Earth Day drives global conservation by turning awareness into action for ecological and open <br /> space protection. This focus aligns with the Orange County Climate Action Plan to sequester <br />