By Guest Blogger Steve Jasiecki of Sustainable Downbeach
Back in
1970, California was choking on smog, lead was being pumped into the air
through car exhaust, the Great Lakes were dying from the waste of industrial steel
mills, DDT had decimated bird populations, sewage was being dumped into lakes,
rivers and bays, factories were belching out toxic smoke into the air and
sludge into the water systems. There were little penalties, accountability, or
repercussions. Clearly something had to
be done. There were many movements’ bringing
awareness to the problem, but it was Senator Gaylord Nelson that set aside
April 22 as a day to have a “National teach-in on the environment.” This became
known as Earth Day.
Photo from U.S. National Archives, Documerica Project, 1973
Nelson
wanted maximum college participation. In
1970, April 22 was chosen because it didn't interfere with spring break or
exams, nor were their any religious holidays near that time. Thousands of
colleges and universities, ten thousand high schools and grade
schools, and several thousand communities -- more than twenty million Americans
in all -- participated in one of the most exciting and significant grassroots
efforts in the history of this country.
Earth Day was the first event of its kind that brought awareness of the
environment to public consciousness.
The
objective of Earth Day worked. It showed
the political leaders that the American people wanted action. For the first
time, awareness of the environment was made on a national level. Earth Day brought about many changes in public
policy. Laws and agencies were created, and significant strides were made to
clean up the country.
American leadership was at the forefront of the environmental
movement.
Now,
Earth Day is an international event. On April 22, around the world, countries will
take part staging events and celebrating the earth.
Locally,
there are numerous cleanups, celebrations and festivals, including ACUA’s 27th
Annual Earth Day Festival on April 23, that will commemorate the holiday.
Petting Zoo from ACUA's Earth Day Festival
Earth Day is a day set aside for everyone to contemplate the
earth, its resources and its fragility. We
all need to take time to think about the future and the consequences of our
actions.
For more information on the history of Earth Day, please see the EPA's Earth Day website.
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The views, opinions and positions expressed are those of the author alone and do not represent those of The Atlantic County Utilities Authority.