"Thirty-eight years ago an inspiring national movement to protect the environment crystallized.
Since America's first official Earth Day on April 22, 1970, New Jersey has become one of the leaders in recognizing environmental problems and developing creative solutions. The state was the third in the country to consolidate existing past programs into a unified major state agency to administer aggressive environmental and conservation efforts. Established by law on that initial Earth Day, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) immediatly began managing natural resources and solving pollution problems. For the past 36 years, New Jersey has been a pioneer in environmental protection.
Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated annually on April 22nd in national and global proportions. It is promoted and supported at the state level by DEP, the New Jersey Commission on Environmental Education and Inter-agency Work Group, the Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education, and a host of other environmental, educational, youth, and community-based organizations.
Earth Day is celebrated in a variety of ways by schools, communities, parks and nature centers, organizations, companies, businesses, municipalities, families, volunteers, youth groups, and individuals. This year, many communities will showcase events and school and youth programs and engage citizens in weekend community service efforts, all designed to inform the public about their natural world.
Earth Day efforts in New Jersey will explore a variety of important areas of focus in the state, including water conservation, climate change, watershed management, air and water quality, waste reduction, open space conservation and habitat protection. Local Earth Day programs, projects and events may highlight these topics, and explore local environmental priorities in addition to hosting community service initiatives, such as waterway, beach and park cleanups.
It is extremely important for New Jerseyans to realize that those who participate in the public and educational processes directed towards environmental improvement will help determine the quality of the environment for the next generation."
Source: NJ DEP Site