Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 to support environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970 and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network in over 193 countries. The purpose of Earth Day is to show global support for protecting the environment and encourage people to care for the planet. It was founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 in response to increasing environmental damage, and led to the creation of the EPA and passage of major environmental protection laws.