In a time of such divisiveness and controversy, it seems almost rare to find consistency and unity in our world. Earth Day is just that sense of unity that some have been longing for.

On April 22nd, a billion people celebrated Earth Day. This celebration, rather a movement, brings awareness to environmental factors affecting some of our earth’s most pressing issues. This time around, Earth Day had something for everyone to participate in, whether big or small.

Earth Day San Francisco is one of the most popular annual Earth Day events. From guest panels, to popular musicians, organic chefs and climate change experts, this festival is successful in creating a positive sentiment.

This positivity on Earth Day was felt in London at the Empower Earth Day Celebration. This twelve hour celebration featured live concerts from notable musicians, dances, DJs and massages. The money raised from this event went to climate change initiatives.

Traveling to San Francisco and London from Minnesota to participate in these events, while amazing, is unlikely. Luckily, Minnesota had many local events to participate in:

In the southern metro, people had the opportunity to help clean up Lebanon Hills in Eagan, clean up Cedar Avenue in Apple Valley or participate in an Earth Day educational afternoon in Lakeville.

But by far the most popular event in Minnesota for Earth Day 2017, and likely in the United States, was the March for Science.  Thousands of activists from all over the country marched “to call for science that upholds the common good and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence based policies in the public interest,” according to the group’s website.

Local reports have shown an upwards of 10,000 activists marching in St. Paul last Saturday. But according to March for Science MN’s website, over 40,000 marched to our State Capitol Building.

While Minnesota may not have been graced with the presence of Bill Nye the Science Guy like Washington, D.C. was, the MN March did have some notable attendees. Congresswoman Betty McCollum, climatologist Mark Seeley and agricultural scientist Bobwealth Omontese were all active participants last Saturday.

While the objective behind this march is nonpartisan in nature, there were undoubtedly signs and chants that were political and perceivably controversial. Luckily for those younger scientific activists there was the Kid’s Climate March at the Science Museum during the morning. The objective of the march was the same as the March for Science MN but with a more creative and encouraging sentiment.

So whether you participated in something big or small, it is clear: April 22nd was surrounded with events celebrating Earth Day and the importance of science in our society. In the eyes of science lovers all over the world, this day was a success.