"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past." George Orwell, "1984" (1948)

Those in power lie about the origins of Earth Day because if we celebrate it on the first day of Spring as originally intended, people will think of land as our source of life rather than just another form of capital. But, to keep labor cheap, they have to keep land as expensive as possible.

21 March 1971

Secretary-General U Thant making a statement before ringing the Peace Bell at United Nations Headquarters today. The ringing of the Bell constituted the highlight of a ceremony proclaiming 21 March as "Earth Day".

Among those invited to attend were the Permanent Representatives of Japan and the United States; the Observer of the Holy See, Monsignor Alberto Giovannetti; a group of children representing several nationalities from the United Nations International School; United Nations correspondents; and Secretariat officials.

Here's an idea I've been working on. Please, revise with your thoughts on it. Feel free to add or combine perspectives, policies, etc.

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• Communist - Unlimited nationalization of business, global government. In effect, legal totalitarianism.
• Socialist - Limited nationalization of basic industry, maximum social welfare, open borders.
• Democrat - Progressive taxation, generous social welfare. Some border control. Strong international cooperation.
• Republican - Limited taxation, limited social welfare. Strong border control. Some international cooperation. (Extreme version = Minarchist.)
• Geoist - No income or sales taxes. Instead, natural resource taxes, pigouvian taxes, citizen's dividends.
• Physiocrat - Location tax only. All welfare and other policy decided by a local citizenry. (By some descriptions, Orthodox Georgist.)
• Libertarian - Zero taxation, zero social welfare, all territory controlled privately. In effect, global aristocracy and/or anarchy.

The reason powerful interests moved Earth Day to April 22 instead of letting it be on the first day of Spring is for political power. That's why the change did nothing to help the environment and actually did the opposite. 

Making the environment a political issue between the left and the right serves to sideline the entire issue. That's why the environment has gotten steadily worse despite 50 years of environmentalism. We are told that only voting can help fix it and then, politicians only feel the need to get elected.

But if Earth Day were on the first day of Spring as originally intended, EVERYONE'S interest in preserving our ecosystem would be celebrated more and more every year instead of less and less.

Also, by celebrating Earth Day on an astronomical event, it can be a truly global holiday that supersedes national, political and religious boundaries and unifies people around our shared concern for the biosystem that keeps us and our animal friends alive.

Let's move Earth Day back to the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring! This is not an effort to make money off the environmental movement! This is an effort to transform society's perspective on environmentalism in a genuinely crucial way!

Returning Earth Day to the Vernal Equinox: A Call for Harmony, Justice, and the Fulfilment of Christianity.

John McConnell, a Pentecostal peace activist and son of an evangelist, conceived Earth Day in 1969 as a global holiday to celebrate life on our planet and urge the preservation of its ecological balance. He deliberately chose the vernal equinox—the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, around March 20 or 21—because it is nature’s own global holiday. On this day, night and day are equal everywhere on Earth, the sun stands directly over the equator, and the planet experiences a moment of perfect balance and renewal.

McConnell’s vision was not arbitrary. The equinox symbolizes harmony between hemispheres, light and dark, and humanity’s shared dependence on Earth’s systems. The first official Earth Day occurred on March 21, 1970, in San Francisco, with support from the city and a proclamation signed by UN Secretary-General U Thant. The United Nations continues this tradition today, ringing the Peace Bell at the exact moment of the equinox.

In contrast, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson organized a major environmental teach-in on April 22, 1970, which also adopted the name "Earth Day." This date was chosen for practical reasons—avoiding spring breaks and exams to maximize student participation—and it became the dominant observance in the United States. McConnell declined to merge his equinox event with Nelson’s, prioritizing the astronomical and symbolic date. While April 22 mobilized millions and spurred landmark legislation, shifting away from the equinox has diluted a deeper unifying message.

Realigning Earth Day with the vernal equinox could powerfully advance three interconnected movements: environmental stewardship, Georgist economics (with roots in physiocracy and natural law libertarianism), and a Christian vision of Heaven on Earth.

Environmental Movement: Restoring Focus on Systemic Balance

The equinox reminds us that Earth is a single, interdependent system. Day and night equality underscores that environmental challenges—like climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and pollution—affect all people equally, transcending national borders or political calendars. Celebrating on an arbitrary spring weekday risks turning Earth Day into just another scheduled awareness event, easily co-opted or forgotten amid commercialism.

Returning to the equinox reconnects the movement to natural rhythms. It emphasizes renewal and equilibrium over protest alone, fostering a positive, unifying vision of living in harmony with ecosystems rather than merely mitigating damage. As McConnell noted, it calls humanity to recognize and respect Earth’s beautiful systems of balance. This could inspire sustained, planet-wide action rooted in awe and shared fate, rather than fleeting media cycles.

Georgist Movement: Affirming Land as Common Property

Georgism, inspired by Henry George and tracing back to the French Physiocrats (who emphasized nature’s primacy in wealth creation), holds that land and natural resources are common property. Everyone has an equal right to the earth’s surface and its opportunities, but private titles to land should yield rent (the economic value of location and natural advantages) back to the community via a land value tax or similar mechanisms. This captures unearned increments from community and nature, while leaving rewards for labor and capital intact.

Land is literally the foundation of life: we all sleep on it every night; it provides the space for food, shelter, and ecosystems. No one created land—it is a gift from nature (or God). Privatizing its full rental value allows monopolization, speculation, and inequality, even as human productivity rises. McConnell’s equinox Earth Day aligns perfectly with this: on the day of global equality, we recognize our mutual dependence on the common inheritance of Earth.

An equinox celebration could highlight how treating land as a commons—through policies capturing rent for public benefit—aligns incentives for conservation. Speculators who profit from holding land idle or extracting without regard for ecology would face costs, while sustainable use and equitable access are rewarded. This bridges environmentalism and economic justice: protecting the "life-giving ecosystem" becomes not just regulation but a matter of rightful shares in natural wealth. It embodies libertarian natural law by respecting individual liberty while enforcing community rights to what nature provides equally.

Christianity: Stewarding Creation Toward Heaven on Earth

McConnell’s faith deeply informed his work. As a Christian, he saw care for Earth as flowing from love of God and neighbor, appreciating creation as God’s handiwork. Jesus’ teachings emphasize the Kingdom of Heaven breaking into Earth—God’s will done "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). He preached providential abundance: seek first the Kingdom and righteousness, and material needs will be added (Matthew 6:25-33). He fed multitudes, healed the sick, and envisioned a renewed creation free from scarcity and exploitation.

Private monopolization of land contradicts this. It creates artificial scarcity amid God’s abundance, concentrating wealth while others lack access to the earth’s bounty. Treating land as common property honors stewardship: humans as caretakers, not absolute owners who can degrade or exclude. The equinox, with its themes of balance, light overcoming darkness, and spring renewal, mirrors resurrection hope and the call to justice. Celebrating then could renew Christian environmental engagement—linking Sabbath rest, Jubilee principles (periodic restoration of equity), and care for the poor with practical economics.

Jesus advocated for the meek inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:5) and warned against serving wealth. A Georgist approach, paired with equinox reflection, offers a path to "Heaven on Earth" by reducing poverty through shared natural rents, freeing labor from excessive taxation, and encouraging ecological responsibility. It counters status-quo interests that benefit from fragmented, exploitable systems.

Why the Date Was Likely Changed—and Why Reclaim It

Powerful investors and entrenched interests in the status quo profit from land speculation, resource extraction, and division. An arbitrary April date fragments focus and makes the observance easier to commercialize or politicize, distracting from the radical unity of McConnell’s vision. Nature’s equinox cannot be owned or manipulated—it stands as an annual reminder of our common home.

Reclaiming the vernal equinox for Earth Day would not erase April 22’s contributions but enrich the movement. It could become a truly global, astronomical event fostering deeper alignment across environmental, economic, and spiritual lines. By honoring balance on the day Earth itself declares it, we recommit to justice in land use, stewardship of creation, and the abundant life Jesus proclaimed.

Let us mark the equinox with ringing bells, planting, reflection, and advocacy for policies that treat land as our shared inheritance. In doing so, we honor John McConnell’s intent and move closer to a healed planet where all can thrive. Nature’s day calls us home—to harmony with Earth, each other, and the providential source of all life.

Hey everyone! I'm u/AdamJMonroe, a founding moderator of r/realearthday.

This is our new home for all things related to taking back "Earth Day" to the Vernal Equinox (the 1st day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere) as it was originally intended to be. We're excited to have you join us!

What to Post

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about why the Vernal Equinox is the REAL "Earth Day" and how we can raise awareness about our efforts toward changing society's perspective regarding this crucial transformation.

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/realearthday amazing.

Hey everyone! I'm u/AdamJMonroe, a founding moderator of r/realearthday.

This is our new home for all things related to taking back "Earth Day" to the Vernal Equinox (the 1st day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere) as it was originally intended to be. We're excited to have you join us!

What to Post

Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Feel free to share your thoughts, photos, or questions about why the Vernal Equinox is the REAL "Earth Day" and how we can raise awareness about our efforts toward changing society's perspective regarding this crucial transformation.

Community Vibe

We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.

2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.

3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/realearthday amazing.

Henry George said the purpose of his proposal to abolish all taxation except on land ownership is individual liberty, natural order. The physiocrats echoed the same spirit in their identical proposal, l 'impot unique (the single tax) and the classical economists such as Adam Smith and others also supported this general idea, that individual economic freedom will best serve society.

However, those who are used to thinking capitalism is free enterprise and that the many and various social problems which arise from that are due to human nature and consistently suggest that the georgist model requires taxation on other things like natural resources and/or undesirable/destructive human activities like pollution. Also, many say the public revenue from such taxation should be returned in equal parts to individuals in order to establish economic justice.

I'm curious to the percentages in this group which adhere to each side of this schism. Please, respond with...

A (to indicate your belief in the superiority of natural order to rule society)

or...

B (to indicate your belief that taxing only location ownership is an incomplete version of georgism).

Henry George said the purpose of his proposal to abolish all taxation except on land ownership is individual liberty, natural order. The physiocrats echoed the same spirit in their identical proposal, l 'impot unique (the single tax) and the classical economists such as Adam Smith and others also supported this general idea, that individual economic freedom will best serve society.

However, those who are used to thinking capitalism is free enterprise and that the many and various social problems which arise from that are due to human nature and consistently suggest that the georgist model requires taxation on other things like natural resources and/or undesirable/destructive human activities like pollution. Also, many say the public revenue from such taxation should be returned in equal parts to individuals in order to establish economic justice.

I'm curious to the percentages in this group which adhere to each side of this schism. Please, respond with...

A (to indicate your belief in the superiority of natural order to rule society)

or...

B (to indicate your belief that taxing only location ownership is an incomplete version of georgism).

Make your prediction for America.

1. The Democrat Party will adopt LVT as a platform issue to oppose land price speculation and spark a georgist movement.

2. The Republican Party will push the anti-tax agenda so far that attention will turn to LVT as the only reasonable tax.

3. A third party will arise based on the georgist agenda of ending all other taxes except on land ownership.

This will be a free show (no cover charge) to promote the REAL "Earth Day" which was originally intended to be on the 1st day of Spring (in the Northern Hemisphere) since it's an astronomical event that transcends all national, political and religious boundaries to remind participants that we are all in this together when it comes to the ecosystem.

The Spring Equinox actually happens at the EXACT SAME MOMENT WORLD-WIDE, not like New Year's Eve, which occurs ever hour. So, it truly joins the entire planet in recognition that the ecosystem is more important than so many other interests that occupy our news and political organizations' attention.

I'm talking to a popular local music venue about the date, but this coming year (2027), the Spring Equinox it's a Saturday, so if I can get some commitments from a good number of bands, we can have an awesome all-day affair! I plan to personally provide a a lot of promotion and free picnic-style food (barbecue, potato salad, etc.)! So, it should be a big, fun event! If you're interested, please, comment below and let's save the world together!

https://www.reddit.com/r/economy/s/9f5pzkHBui