The Flagman Store
606 Main Street
Hyannis MA 02601
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THE HISTORY OF THE EARTH FLAG
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by John McConnell |
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Earth Day
1979 was observed at the New York headquarters of the United Nations in
cooperation with the Year of the Child. Several hundred children streamed
across the street into the United Nations grounds, carrying and waving small
(12" x 18". 31.5 x 47 cm.) flags which portrayed the Earth as seen from space
on a dark blue background.
At the last minute a volunteer had come up with the idea of distributing
"Earth Flags" to the children, who were participating in the Earth Day
program. By the time I learned of this they all had their flags. Knowing the
stiff protocol at the United Nations, I asked the guards if it would be all
right for then to carry the flags and was informed that they might carry them
up to the gate, but must leave the flags there and pick them up as they left.
Yet when they came through the gate no guard had the heart to ask for a flag
and so the Earth Flags added to our joyous celebration.
What is the
Earth Flag? What does It stand for? Is it a real flag? How did it get started
and how has it been used? When the first photo of Earth appeared in Life in
1969, I was deeply stirred -- as were many other people -- by what I saw. The
Copernican revolution in thinking back in the l6th century had enlarged our
view, our perspective of the human race. We became more aware of our planet,
its relation to our solar system and to the universe. In viewing the first
photo from space, thereby sharIng in part the experience of the astronauts, we
ex perienced in a deep and emotional way a new awareness of our planet. In
fact, our venture into space resulted in a conceptual revolution that gave us
a more generalist approach to our problems and new and reverent wonder about
the nature of the human adventure.
My own special interest was the result of years of effort to promote
international cooperation in space. This went back to 1957, when a "Star of
Hope" editorial in my weekly newspaper in North Carolina attracted national
attention. As I looked at the Life photo it occurred to me that an Earth flag
could symbolize and encourage our new world view and that the Earth as seen
from space was the best possible symbol for this purpose.
I called the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration and spoke to the head of public
relations, who sent me a transparency of the photo used in Life. When I told
him what it was for, he said, "What a wonderful idea." In talking to friends,
many suggestions were made for adding other elments to the flag - for example,
the figure of a person. Nevertheless, I proceeded with the simple design of
the Earth centered on a dark blue background.
I copyrighted
the Earth Flag in 1969. A year later a registered trade mark was obtained,
using the Earth photo as the basis for an original design that filled out the
bit of shadow occuring in that particular photo. We then had 500 12" x 18"
(31.5 x 47 co ) Earth Flags produced by the Amrican Flag Co. in New Jersey. In
Geneva in 1973 I showed the Earth flag to Denis de Rougemont, the historian.
On seeing it he said "You've got the right one." There had been differences
about which photo was the first high resolution photo of Earth. The astronauts
didn't know which photo they had taken first. Denis felt the first one
published should be considered the first photo of Earth.
Our first 500
flags were produced in a hurry, in order to use them at the "Moon Watch" at
Central Park in New York City. This was the big event where we watched and
celebrated the first landing on the Moon on 20 July 1969. Prominent at the
ceremony was a large Earth Flag specially made by volunteers. Several hundred
of the small flags were sold and some were given away.
In the rush
to make these first flags the colors in the screening of the Earth were
reversed. This Earth view consisted mostly of clouds and oceans, the only land
being a small part of Lower California and Central America. For simplicity we
had combined the bit of land with the sea; but on these first Earth Flags (of
which we still have a small supply, for posterity) the ocean is white and the
clouds are blue.
Right after
this I went to California and initiated the first efforts for Earth Day,
another idea that had grown out of my thinking and efforts. On the first Earth
Day, 21 March 1970, the City of San Francisco flew the Earth Flag. Schools,
churches, ecology groups, businesses, and youth organizations flew and used
the Earth Flag. In one interesting case when students in Hayward California,
draped a steam roller with Earth Flags and flowers while singing "Where Have
All the Flowers Gone?" they managed to stop the paving of their schoolyard.
Since that
time requests for Earth Flags have come from all over the world. Meeting the
requests has been a poorly-run operation carried on with a few Earth Day
volunteers. Efforts to obtain financing and promotion have been unsuccessful.
We have also had repeated difficulty in obtaining a satisfactory product from
flag companies -- due to the unusual nature of our requirements for a
photo-like representation of the Earth -- a problem we now believe can be
solved. Lack of capital has resulted in our having to order small quantities
of flags at expensive prices.
This
"extracurricular activity," in the midst of deep involvement in global
problems, has not been conducive to a successful undertaking. Nevertheless
since our first Earth Day we have distributed over 15,000 Earth Flags - all in
response to requests and contributions unsolicited by us. Many of these were
the result of free mention in the Whole Earth Catalogue and other articles
about the flag.
Our
experience with the Earth Flag has been an inspiring one. One young man in the
Shetland Islands wrote, "I received the large flag in beautiful condition and
I love it. It is now serving as a curtain in my room. The first morning I woke
up with it there the sunrise was shining through it and it was fantastic. The
Earth seemed to glow and I could imagine the exhilaration the astronauts must
experience when they see the beautiful planet, Mother Earth, in its full."
I have
unexpectedly found Earth Flags in business offices, newsrooms, schools, and
churches. The Earth Flag has been officially flown in many cities. It has been
displayed at UN conferences and was featured in an Earth Day essay by Margaret
Mead for UPI. She stated "... the selection of the March equinox [for Earth
Day] makes planetary observance of a shared event possible. and a flag which
shows the Earth as seen from space appropriate."
When the City
of New York celebrated the city's ethnic diversity in a program at Central
Park, they ordered 30 large Earth Flags. A Park Department aide confided
later. "It solved a problem. All you'd have to do is leave out one ethnic flag
and you'd have a crisis. This covers everybody."
Pete Seeger
said that the best symbol for Earth was a flag with the Earth on it and he
flew the Earth Flag on the Clearwater. The QE2 flew the Earth Flag in 1973 on
a two-week Earth Society cruise in the Caribbean with Isaac Azimov, Carl Sagan,
Burl Ives, and other Earth patriots.
Through the
years we have said many things to try and express the meaning and purpose of
the Earth Flag. Initially we stated that the Earth flag was created to remind
us that each person has a basic right to use the Earth and an equal
responsibility to build the Earth. All nations have flags. The UN has a flag,
states have flags and businesses have flags. There ought to be a flag that's
just for people.
On another
occasion we said. "The Earth Flag is a non- government flag for all Earth
people. Its purpose is to encourage equilibrium in nature, in social systems,
and in the the minds of men." Another purpose is to foster loyalty to Earth
that will transcend national loyalties and differences.
The most
beautiful thing is that many people find their own words to express the
meaning of the Earth Flag. Several have sent us pledges of allegiance to the
Earth Flag. A prisoner who had several years to serve sent for an Earth Flag:
he stated that he felt it would give him hope for a better life and a better
world when he was released.
Flags have
inspired heroic actions in war campaigns. The Earth Flag is inspiring heroic
actions for the care and rejuvenation of Earth. Blowing in the wind, the Earth
Flag speaks in silence. In rhythm, metaphor, and color it tells us our most
important task is to take care of our planet.
Can the Earth
Flag give clear meaning and purpose to foster a global community of
conscience, free of partisan coercion and control and dedicated to the care of
Earth? Flags have been used for centuries to communicate and encourage values
and loyalties, but national flags have been divisive. While many depict sun,
moon and stars, none depicts our home planet. Not one has a symbol or
representation of the Earth, to which all are indebted for their very
existence.
Action by any
government to place the Earth in a corner of its flag and initiate a global
effort to halt the degradation of Earth and foster its nurture and care would
be welcome. To repeat my statement at an Earth Flag Ceremony in New York City
in 1978:
We raise the
Earth Flag, to encourage and inspire love of Earth, We raise the Earth Flag to
enlist and unite young and old in courageous action for our planet's
protection -- for cautious nurture of its life and care of its resources in
every city and neighborhood.
We raise the
Earth Flag as a promise to all who work to help our planet that they and their
children will obtain a fair stake in Earth and its future, with equitable
access to its beauty and bounty.
We raise the
Earth Flag with a firm conviction that together we can save our planet; that
our actions now and in succeeding years will enable us to celebrate the year
2000 with a healthy peaceful planet.
This article
was originally delivered as a lecture at the 9th International Congress of
Vexilollogy.
John McConnell is President of the Earth Society Foundation (585 South Avenue,
New York NY 10017 U.S.A.). He has been active in many programs designed to
improve the human condition, including Meals for Millions, Minute for Peace,
and the Earth Care Handbook.
NOTE: The
first Earth Flag used the Apollo 10 Earth Foto 69HC487.
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