John McConnell (March 22, 1915 – October 20, 2012) was the founder and creator of

Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...

, and The Earth Society Foundation. He was known for designing the

Earth Flag The flag of Earth is a concept of a possible flag design meant to symbolize the planet Earth, humankind, or a possible world government. Proposed flags Earth Flag In 1969, peace activist John McConnell proposed his design titled the ''Ear ...

, pursuing causes relating to peace, religion, and science.

Early years

John McConnell was born on March 22, 1915 in Davis City, Iowa, United States. He was the son of a Pentecostal preacher and traveling doctor. His first interest in the Earth began in 1939 while partnering with Albert Nobell, a chemist, in the Nobell Research Laboratory in Los Angeles that built a factory for the manufacture of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

s. Realizing how much the manufacture of plastic polluted the Earth, his concern for

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

grew. Afterward, he was a lifetime believer in care of the environment, founded on his Christian beliefs. He stated that, leading into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he believed that love and prayer could be more powerful than bombs. On October 31, 1957, soon after the first successful

Sputnik Sputnik 1 (; see § Etymology) was the first artificial Earth satellite. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957 as part of the Soviet space program. It sent a radio signal back to Earth for t ...

launch, McConnell wrote an editorial entitled, "Make Our Satellite A Symbol Of Hope", calling for peaceful cooperation in the exploration of

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

with a visible "Star of Hope" satellite. This led him to create a "Star of Hope" organization to foster international cooperation in space.

Major actions and campaigns

Peace activism

In 1959 to pursue his dream of peace, John McConnell moved to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

where he and his co-publisher, Erling Toness, founded the "Mountain View". Along with the "Mountain View", he organized a campaign in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

in 1962 called "Meals for Millions". It was used to feed thousands of Hong Kong refugees. In 1963, after the "Meals for Millions" campaign, McConnell worked on another campaign called "Minute for Peace" for seven years following "Meals for Millions". He began his "Minute for Peace" campaign with a broadcast on December 22, 1963, ending the mourning period for the late president,

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. On June 26, 1965, McConnell spoke at the National Education Association Convention in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

, where the public came together for a "Minute for Peace".

Earth Day

McConnell's concern for the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

grew in the late 1950s and early 1970s. A Christian, he believed humans have an obligation to take care of the Earth, and to share its resources equally, based on such passages as

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

115:16, "The earth has been given to the children of men." He was moved when he saw the first picture of the Earth printed in ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine. Later that picture became the symbol on the Earth Day flag which he designed and created. In October 1969, at the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

conference in

, McConnell proposed a global holiday to celebrate Earth's life and beauty and to advance peace. Along with the celebration of life on Earth, he intended Earth Day to alert people about the need for preserving and renewing the threatened

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

balance upon which all life on Earth depends. The proposal won strong support and was followed by an Earth Day Proclamation by the City of San Francisco on March 1, 1970, "Honor the Earth" and the first celebration of

on March 21, 1970. In June 1970, McConnell created the Earth Day Proclamation for worldwide use and awareness, which declared the principles and responsibilities the signers undertook to care for the Earth. It was signed by 36 world leaders, including UN Secretary General

U Thant Thant (; ; January 22, 1909 – November 25, 1974), known honorifically as U Thant (), was a Burmese diplomat and the third secretary-general of the United Nations from 1961 to 1971, the first non-Scandinavian to hold the position. He held t ...

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Co ...

, John Gardner and others. The spring equinox Earth Day is celebrated in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

in many cities with ringing of peace bells. Earth Day has been celebrated annually since 1970 at the United Nations with ringing of the UN Peace Bell.

The Earth Society Foundation, Inc.

In June 1973, McConnell formed "The Earth Society". Margaret Mead later joined the foundation in September 1976 as the international chairman of

. The Earth Society, Inc. became The Earth Society Foundation, Inc. in December 1976.

References

External links

John McConnell Biography

John McConnell, Jr. and the Pentecostal Origins of Earth Day

Oral History Interview of John McConnell, Jr. about his Christian Faith
* NY Times Article Oct. 28, 199

*John McConnell Live on YouTube Tells his Story Part 1 of

{{DEFAULTSORT:McConnell, John 1915 births 2012 deaths American environmentalists Flag designers People from Decatur County, Iowa People from the San Francisco Bay Area American Christians Activists from Iowa