The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970. Initially devised as a national teach-in on the effects of 150 years of unfettered industrial development, Earth Day helped to galvanize the nascient environmental movement and was a catalyst for a decade of progress in regulating pollution that included the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts and the Occupational Safety and Health Act. As we face the nihilistic rollback of the 55 years of environmental progress made since the first Earth Day and the darkening spectre of human-induced accelerated climate change, our Earth Day 2025 themed playlist includes music from Common, Justin Townes Earle, Stevie Wonder and John Legend, Vermillion Lies, Bo Diddley, Anthony da Rosa and more! This week's interstitial "music" is provided by the Sonic Heritage Project, which collects field recordings from UNESCO Heritage sites from around the globe.
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