Earth Day is an environmental movement celebrated each year on April 22.  Earth day was founded in 1970, when hippies and the Beatles ruled the land.  At the time, the environment was not a chief concern, and pollution was an accepted piece of economic growth.  Environmental efforts began to take popularity after a New York Times bestseller capitalized on our endangered environmental state.  Earth Day met the concerns in a society growing in environmental and public health anxieties.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency was birthed after the first Earth Day, as well as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.  Throughout the years, Earth Day has tackled challenging environmental issues.  Despite these challenges, Earth Day 2013 was bursting with countries eager to do their part. 

Here is our list of noteworthy, unfamiliar Earth Day countries:

• Copenhagen, Denmark: Carbon emissions are a serious problem, and this city spelled ‘CO2’ via satellite navigation devices.
• Tokyo, Japan: 100,000 people gathered in Yoyogi Park for a two-day music and art festival to commemorate Earth Day.
• Pakistan: An initiative to plant 50,000 trees is being led to combat deforestation.
• Philippines: The Solar Revolution Pavilion is a solar-powered building constructed with plastic bottles.  1,600 plastic vegetable crates were used to build this 200 square, 6-meter high structure. 
• Indonesia: A parade to honor Earth Day was held; environmental issues include dwindling marine life and deforestation.
• Taipei, Taiwan: Canon Marketing (Taiwan) Co. sponsored “Plant for the Planet: The Bill Tree Campaign” where participants plant trees.  The company promotes “kyosei” – working and living together for the good of the community.
• Seoul, South Korea: Gangnam Style was revamped for an Earth Day flash mob.  Seoul also hosted an Earth Day exhibition and a walkathon.

Most of us take for granted the beautiful creation of Earth and we would like to give you five stunning places protected by Earth-lovers in the United States.

1. San Francisco Bay, CA: The San Francisco Bay Association or Save the Bay, paved the way for the Conservation and Development Commission.  Windsurfers, birders, and boaters enjoy this clean bay today.
2. Storm King Mountain, NY: The Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference was formed in the 1960s to combat a hydroelectric power facility.  The court ruling established conservation groups could challenge developments threatening the environment.
3. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, TX: Lady Bird Johnson co-founded the Wildflower Center in 1982, which today runs a seed bank and aids in green community concepts.  Native Texas plants provide a beautiful backdrop to its landscape.
4. Pelican Island, Florida: President Theodore Roosevelt declared Pelican Island a Federal Bird Reservation in 1903.  Pelican Island is a nesting site for egrets, herons, spoonbills, and an array of tropical birds.
5. Dinosaur National Monument, Utah and Colorado: Thousands of dinosaur fossils were discovered here in 1915. In the 1950s the Bureau of Reclamation attempted to build a dam here, which would flood the Yampa and Green River canyons.  Congress blocked the dam in 1956, and today white-water rafters flock to this mecca.

UniTherm International is a manufacturer of green-friendly insulation blankets for all applications, specializing in the plastics and oil and gas industries. UniTherm strives for energy efficiency with all of our new and existing innovations.