The first Earth Day was in 1970 but was an idea started in Senator Gaylord Nelson’s mind years before. He looked around and saw the degradation of the environment and the seemingly lack of concern. In 1962, Senator Nelson was able to persuade President Kennedy to go on a national conservation tour. While it didn’t give the environment the spotlight he had hoped, the idea of Earth Day was started.
To those too young to remember the 1950s and 60s, lots of bad things were happening to the environment. Untreated industrial waste was being poured into our rivers and lakes resulting in rivers catching on fire, massive fish kills, and rivers and lakes so polluted that humans couldn’t enjoy them. Our air was being filled with all types of toxins from factories and automobiles. Smog was almost a daily occurrence in many of our large cities.
As a result of Earth Day and the activism it started, the Clean Air Act got regulatory “teeth” and the Clean Water Act was passed. Yes, nowadays there’s a cry for less regulations but do we really want to go back to flammable rivers and smog-filled air? (Gene)
Today is Earth Day! Over one billion people in 192 countries are participating from London to Sao Paolo, Seoul to Babylon City, New Delhi to New York, Rome to Cairo; people everywhere are taking action in their communities and helping depict The Face of Climate Change.
How can you get involved? Attend an Earth Day event in your community, start doing something to lower your carbon footprint, and take a photo of yourself being part of the solution and upload it to The Face of Climate Change Wall.
