Miguel Braganza
The 22nd of April is significant for many reasons. For me, it is especially memorable because, more than two decades ago, my friend Ethel da Costa risked — and lost — her job as a journalist to celebrate Earth Day at the Dr. Francisco Luis Gomes Garden in Campal, Panaji-Goa. Today, she continues promoting sustainable lifestyles from her comfort zone in Malaysia.
The theme of Earth Day 2025, ‘Our Power, Our Planet’, highlights the growing influence and responsibility of businesses in shaping a sustainable future. It’s more than just a symbolic occasion — it’s a call to align government and corporate strategies with global environmental goals: reducing plastics, conserving and planting trees, integrating sustainability into operations, and meeting the evolving expectations of employees, investors, and customers.
The Botanical Society of Goa has long promoted biodiversity conservation through events like the Konkan Fruit Fest, first held at Campal in May 2003. By the April 2023 edition, the event had expanded to include Earth Day celebrations. Students from the former Don Bosco College of Agriculture, Sulcorna, participated in the fest in 2017 and 2023, with the alumni association partnering last year’s event. This year, celebrations move to Navelim, with a special focus on honeybees — vital pollinators for our trees. The Goa College of Agriculture, Ela, which joined the fest last year, remains involved. Owing to changes introduced by NEP 2020, the fest will now be
held in early May.
The idea of Earth Day was born at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco in 1969. At the time, the USA was using ‘Agent Orange’ — a deadly chemical mix — to defoliate forests in Vietnam, similar to how the Nazis had once tested insecticides during World War II. Peace activist John McConnell proposed a day to honour Earth, and the UN Secretary-General, U Thant of Burma (now Myanmar), signed the proclamation. March 21, 1970 — the Spring Equinox — marked the first Earth Day, coinciding with Indian New Year celebrations like Gudi Padwa and Ugadi.
Funding a global movement, however, needed more than good intentions. US Senator Gaylord Nelson proposed a nationwide event a month later and appointed activist Denis Hayes as national coordinator. Supported by an auto workers’ union, the first large-scale Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. After the Vietnam War ended, the event spread worldwide. Today, on the 55th anniversary of that milestone, Earth Day connects over a billion participants across
190 countries.
