Because of Gaylord Nelson, and millions of Americans like some of you that are here today who joined him, we begin to make things a little bit better.

WHITEHOUSE: VP Biden Announces "Retrofit Ramp-Up" Awards

The longtime Wisconsin Senate Democratic duo of Gaylord Nelson and William Proxmire: Nelson known for his love of the environment, Proxmire for his antipathy for wasteful government spending.

NPR: In Memoriam

Earth Day was conceived by U.S. senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 after he witnessed a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, California the previous year.

CNN: SHARE THIS

Earth Day was the idea of the late Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin who in a speech in September 1969 proposed a day for an environmental teach-in.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS