According to the Wikipedia article on the subject, the first “Earth Day” held on 22 April 1970 was an environmental “teach in” scheduled during Spring break so more students could attend. The mastermind behind it was apparently US Senator Gaylord Nelson.
However, six months earlier, an Earth Day to be observed on the Spring Equinox was proposed to UNESCO by Christian peace activist John McConnell. The idea was supported by U Thant and subsequent UN Secretaries General, and March 20th is still the official date for the UN’s version of Earth Day.
In the United States, the April 22 observation date persists.
Dream House
When I am not working, thinking about work, working on my own projects, or trying to follow the news that NPR does not want to touch but which I think is important, I am probably trying to rest.
When I rest I often experience light dreams. These often involve buildings, and recent dreams have been no exception. It could be that one reason I don’t much like to sleep is that I don’t much enjoy this type of dreaming. The images or thoughts can be disturbing or scary. They sometimes swarm in, but in a gentler way than when I am sick or passing out. Have you ever had a fever or passed out, and experienced a kind of mental noise that can seem like a rather large chattering crowd?
But like when I have been sick, these dreams often carry with them the suggestion that there is some important problem to be figured out. Yet the data or images that arise make no real sense and are basically just confusing. It is a very interesting experience, and basically mimics the experience of being suppressed by a criminal.
I have had dreams that were quite tolerable. But these odder and more confusing episodes are more common. Many have involved rather large inside spaces that seem to go on forever and tend to present odd surprises and changes. After a recent one, I resolved to write a bit about this, and call the section “dream house,” a play on words connected with my occasional interest in designing architectural spaces.