The history of Earth Day, Stressless’ favorite day

Not many people know when, where or how Earth Day began, so we at Stressless® want to revisit its origins and tell our sustainability story. While the official first Earth Day was in 1970, some say that the idea and motivation to create the day is credited to Rachel Carson who published the book “Silent Spring” in 1962. Her writing explored the negative impact on the environment from the use of different chemicals and pesticides. Carson accused the chemical industry and public officials of dishonesty, due to statements made on pesticides being safe and okay for the environment. The aftermath of the publication led to widespread concern for planet earth and people began to question, research and study the long-term implications of pollution. This was during a time when steel mills and industries were booming in large cities and when families started to own multiple cars, a rarity in previous decades. Dangerous fuels were produced at a high level, greatly impacting the environment.

As more and more people became aware of pollution having such negative effects on our ecosystem, there was a greater need and desire for action. In 1969, junior senator, Gaylord Nelson, was distraught by the environmental repercussions from an oil spill in Santa Barbara and was inspired to do something about it. Nelson teamed up with Congressman Pete McClosky and activist Denis Hayes to organize teach-ins at various colleges on the topic of pollution and its consequences, an idea taken from Vietnam War teach-ins taking place at the time. These teach-ins began in 1969 and so many students felt passionately about the findings presented that Nelson and McClosky tasked Hayes to organize demonstrations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and most other American cities on April 22, 1970. This date in history is known as the first official Earth Day. From then on, Earth Day continued to grow each year with spikes in 1990 when it went global, in 2000 with Y2K and 2010 when earthday.org re-established the day as a major moment and global action.

The 2022 Earth Day theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet. What Will You Do?’ (#InvestInOurPlanet). At Stressless® we can say that we certainly try and will continue our efforts to help keep our planet safe. We wholeheartedly support sustainability using materials selected with care and consideration. Our high-quality products extend the lifespan of our furniture and lower the environmental impact. Left over wood resulting from making our furniture is regenerated into heating our factory and any surplus heats homes in our community. We make simple efforts in hopes of improving our environment, such as using recycled materials for packaging and using left over foam for armrests and footrests. Additionally, at Stressless® we use a complicated closed loop system to clean steel without releasing toxins, as well as water-based paints. We are not saving the world, though we surely take pride in being a company that does its part in making a difference.

We hope others are inspired to do their part in keeping planet earth safe and rise to the occasion this April and beyond. One of the ways to make environmentally friendly choices is to invest in our environmentally friendly furniture. Visit the nearest Stressless® dealer to purchase sustainable products that will lead to the ultimate comfort.