Unfortunately, story-mongers, this vision is…well…completely fictitious. The two days coexist – even complement one another, and each was born of a widespread desire to improve the way people use, and sometimes, abuse the environment.

As you’ll notice, little separates Earth Day and World Environment Day but a few weeks and the details of their birth. Take a look through the history of the events. It’s clear that Pittsburgh, in hosting World Environment Day this year, has a unique opportunity to promote what our city does well and grow greener still.

Earth Day

Today, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 in over 170 countries and on the Spring Equinox (around March 20) in even more. It’s the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faith traditions, and nationalities – although at first, it was slightly more regional.

On the verge of the 1970s, the United States found itself in the political and emotional quagmire that was the Vietnam war, rising unrest with environmental stability, and the slow wane of the civil rights movements’ height.

In 1962, Rachel Carson turned heads with bestseller Silent Spring, which exposed the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT. Throughout the 60’s, researchers like Paul R. Ehrlich drew attention to the increasing pressure human activities placed on natural amenities; and the effects of pollution began making the front page.

For example, in June 1969, massive water pollution made it possible for the Cuyahoga River to catch fire and an oil spill happened near Santa Barbara, California.

These movements left Americans prepared to rally for even more change.

Sensing the nation’s profound discontent with environmental degradation, then-Senator Gaylord Nelson harnessed the desire for change by announcing a nationwide “teach-in” that would “shake up” D.C. and demonstrate the importance the American people placed on conservation. It worked.

On April 22, 1970, in a massive nonpartisan effort, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, auditoriums, and classrooms nationwide in the first Earth Day.

Senator Nelson later reflected that Earth Day was able to influence positive responses and legislation in government “because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated… the remarkable thing about Earth Day [was that] it organized itself.”

April 22nd fun facts:

• In 1832, Julius Sterling Morton, Founder of Arbor Day, was born.

• In 1889, at high noon, thousands rushed to claim land in the Land Run of 1889. Within hours, the cities of Oklahoma City and Guthrie were formed with populations above 10,000.

• In 1970, the Daughters of the American Revolution took note of April 22 as Vladimir Lenin’s birth date and protested the first Earth Day as a potential “Communist trick.” We are certainly glad it wasn’t!

World Environment Day

Have you pegged the Earth Day crew as a rowdy, world-changing bunch? World Environment Day (WED) is not a far cry from the same. While both holidays are celebrated worldwide, WED also trades hosting privileges each year.

The host city, in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme, sets the tone, chooses the issues they find especially poignant, and arranges events—both “people’s events” like awareness-raising parades, rallies, concerts, and clean-up campaigns, and “intellectual” events, which provide opportunities to share technologies and concerns, create legislation and sign environmental pacts, utilize media to publicize sustainability issues, and re-commit our cities to environmental health on the personal and governmental levels.

The United Nations explains the WED agenda as “to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.”

Pittsburgh is this year’s host! For more information, visit http://www.pittsburghwed.com/

Some global hosts and themes from the past 10 World Environment Days:

2009 Mexico City, Mexico – Your Planet Needs You – UNite to Combat Climate Change
2008 Wellington, New Zealand – Kick The Habit – Towards A Low Carbon Economy
2007 Tromsø, Norway – Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?
2006 Algiers, Algeria – Deserts and Desertification- Don’t Desert Drylands!
2005 San Francisco, USA – Green Cities – Plan for the Planet!
2004 Barcelona, Spain – Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive?
2003 Beirut, Lebanon – Water – Two Billion People are Dying for It!
2002 Shenzhen, China – Give Earth a Chance!
2001 Torino, Italy & Havana, Cuba – Connect with the World Wide Web of Life
2000 Adelaide, Australia – The Environment Millennium – Time to Act

June 5th fun facts:

• In 1723, Adam Smith, economist who championed the concept of free trade, was baptized in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.

• In 1851, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s popular anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, began its ten-month-run in the National Era newspaper.

• In 1898, poet Federico García Lorca was born near Grenada, Spain.

• In 1956, Elvis Presley scandalized the audience of The Milton Berle Show when he released his new single, “Hound Dog,” complete with suggestive hip movements.

For more detailed information on the logistics of the event, see the FAQ page.

Ivy, what’s a flotilla? I keep hearing that word.

Loosely, a fleet of boats. It often refers to naval vessels, but describes what we’ll be doing equally well.

It’s also a videogame featuring “Chicken space pirates, psychic dog advisers, and rhino bounty hunters,” but that’s not what we’ll be doing. We will be in kayaks and canoes!

What sort of things can make up a flotilla? Just kayaks?

Tugboats, yachts, submarines, warships (yikes)…you name it. On the civilian side, there are flotilla sailing vacations abroad, you can hitch your pontoon boats together and have a cookoff, or use kayaks to break world records. The world record is technically the “Largest raft of Canoes and Kayaks,” so please leave tugboats at home.

What’s the correct pronunciation of flotilla?

Rhymes with Godzilla: float-illa. The word is a derivative of the Spanish flota, but don’t be tripped up when you see the lovely double “l” found in words like quesadilla (mmm…) we dropped the “y” sound upon appropriating the word for English use.

Will there be drinking? I associate flotillas with alcohol.

A: No. We encourage families to take part in the day together, and alcohol use is prohibited during our record attempt. However, we are working an after-party celebration if you’re interested.

Do I have to have my own kayak?

No, and you don’t even have to know where to get one. Register now and receive a follow-up e-mail about reasonable kayak pricing through our partners, or watch this website and www.ventureoutdoors.org for updates on local outfitters and their prices.

If you do own your own boat, great! Let’s get it on the water.

Ok, sounds fun! What will I have to do that day?

In the afternoon, we’ll gather and push off from several convenient points on the shore downtown and gather our kayaks to form a raft near the Point. Once everyone is assembled and the helicopter is positioned above to get some high-quality footage (how cool is that?), we’ll pull up our paddles and hold onto the boats next to us. The record attempt should be done and we’ll all shoot to be out of the water by 3:00, if not lots earlier.

Of course, the logistics will take slightly longer to complete than to explain, but we’ll keep you updated through the website, via e-mail, and at the point.

I’ve never kayaked before. Is that a problem?

Not at all. It’s not too difficult, and you’ll only paddle a short distance for this event. We do require that you wear a life jacket, and remember that quite a few of your fellow participants will be experienced paddlers or trip leaders. In the unlikely event that you have a problem or tip over, you’ll have a life jacket to keep you afloat and 1,500 friends to help you upright.

If you like this experience, we do hope that you’ll try kayaking on another day in a more traditional format. It’s fun!

These zombies were actually ‘burghers in disguise, and rather than seeking brains for food, they solicited non-perishables for locals in need. The walk was a successful food drive for the Greater Pittsburgh community food bank. As for fame—they got it!

Pittsburgh’s walk on October 9, 2006, set the first-ever World Record for “The Most People Participating in a Zombie Walk.”

Walkers were inspired by Dawn of the Dead, Director George Romero’s 1978 zombie flick filmed at the Monroeville Mall.

The movie is a sequel to Romero’s earlier Night of the Living Dead (1968) and follows four survivors of the expanding zombie apocalypse into their refuge: an abandoned shopping mall.

894 Pittsburghers, in memoriam of the film, shredded their clothes, looked as lifeless as possible, and stumbled from one end of the mall to another.

Pittsburgh’s record has since been challenged, beaten, and reclaimed in a following Zombie Fest of 1,341 participants, verified in June 2009. The second attempt included fun events like a “Zombie Olympics,” “Brain Eating Contest,” and “Ugly Pageant.”

Other notable World Records set in Pittsburgh include the Largest Wedding vow renewal, October 2008, as part of Pittsburgh 250.

Participant Chet Suty proposed the renewal to his wife, Christine, because “it would be romantic, fun, and record-breaking.” Oh it was, Chet. It was.

Also in 2008, Mama Lena Pizza, in McKee’s Rocks, attempted the world’s largest commercially-sold pizza, a whopping 150-cut, 53½ inch pizza that takes 15 pounds of cheese. It’s still available, for a bill proportional to the number of bellies it’ll fill.