By Tom Chasm
April hosts one day when we can stop and celebrate the accomplishments we’ve made to preserve our environment – Happy Earth Day. I was 20 years old that first Earth Day in 1970 and mildly interested in the concept, but the world took notice and the environmental movement was born.
One of the co-founders of Earth Day, former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), recognized the power of the anti-war teach-ins that were happening at college campuses all over the country.
In "A Brief History of Earth Day," by Gaylord Nelson (1989) he says, “I visited Santa Barbara in the summer of 1969 to speak at a water conference, and then flew north to Berkeley to speak at a conservation conference. On the plane I read an article about the use of campus anti-war teach-ins to educate students about the Vietnam War. Suddenly the idea occurred to me: Why not devote a day to a nationwide teach-in on the environment?
Thus was born Earth Day. Eight months later, on April 22, 1970, 20 million people, 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 grammar and high schools and 1,000 communities mobilized for the first nationwide demonstrations on environmental problems. Congress adjourned for the day so members could attend Earth Day events in their districts. The response was nothing short of remarkable, and the modern American environmental movement took off.
My major objective in planning Earth Day 1970 was to organize a nationwide public demonstration so large it would, finally, get the attention of the politicians and force the environmental issue into the political dialogue of the nation. It worked. By the sheer force of its collective action on that one day, the American public forever changed the political landscape respecting environmental issues."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was a direct result of Earth Day in 1970. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act were passed by Congress. And the Supreme Court affirmed the EPA's role in environmental protection enforcement.
We’ve come a long way since the EPA set the first human health exposure levels. We’ve removed lead from our paint and gasoline. We no longer are exposed to DDT or asbestos on a regular basis. But technology keeps bringing us new challenges in the form of a stew of chemicals in the products we use that may or may not be harmful. These days as those chemicals are reported to be dangerous or even suspected to be, we can usually find safer alternatives from which to choose.
This year’s Earth Day Celebrations can proudly look back at the accomplishments that are a direct result of the first Earth Day, but due to our dependence on petroleum and coal for energy and transportation, we have a much bigger challenge to deal with right now.
It’s no secret that global warming is everyone’s biggest environmental challenge. The international recognition of this problem is bringing about intense research and development in water conservation, alternative energy sources and green initiatives. More and more cities are adopting green policies in building practices and in public transportation. States like California are passing laws limiting the use of dangerous chemicals in products sold to consumers.
Governmental mandates are cutting the amount of carbon gases being released into the environment, but not everyone is participating so we have more to do before we start to see a reversal of the damage which is causing our climate to change.
The choices on a personal level are growing daily. Organic food has become available in your local supermarket. Organic fibers are being used to make clothes and linen. Hybrid and electric vehicles, and bio-fuels are options for your personal transportation. Recycling and buying recycled products continues to be easier all the time. And the growth of the green building industry continues even though construction and the new housing market have slowed down.
Here’s some news you can use locally - Pinellas Living Green Expo is scheduled a couple of weeks after Earth Day this year. Set aside some time on the first weekend in May to attend the third Expo being held at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. in Clearwater, Florida. Get details at www.pinellaslivinggreenexpo.org. You’ll find exhibitors who can offer more sustainable choices and information about reducing environmental impacts in the following areas: Transportation, Energy, Home Building and Remodeling, Food, Yard and Garden, Recreation and Leisure, Household Products and Practices, Sustainability Education and Lifestyles, and Arts and Culture. It just gets better every year.
Check out Earth Day Celebrations in your neighborhood and have a great Earth Day!
April hosts one day when we can stop and celebrate the accomplishments we’ve made to preserve our environment – Happy Earth Day. I was 20 years old that first Earth Day in 1970 and mildly interested in the concept, but the world took notice and the environmental movement was born.
One of the co-founders of Earth Day, former U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-WI), recognized the power of the anti-war teach-ins that were happening at college campuses all over the country.
In "A Brief History of Earth Day," by Gaylord Nelson (1989) he says, “I visited Santa Barbara in the summer of 1969 to speak at a water conference, and then flew north to Berkeley to speak at a conservation conference. On the plane I read an article about the use of campus anti-war teach-ins to educate students about the Vietnam War. Suddenly the idea occurred to me: Why not devote a day to a nationwide teach-in on the environment?
Thus was born Earth Day. Eight months later, on April 22, 1970, 20 million people, 2,000 colleges and universities, 10,000 grammar and high schools and 1,000 communities mobilized for the first nationwide demonstrations on environmental problems. Congress adjourned for the day so members could attend Earth Day events in their districts. The response was nothing short of remarkable, and the modern American environmental movement took off.
My major objective in planning Earth Day 1970 was to organize a nationwide public demonstration so large it would, finally, get the attention of the politicians and force the environmental issue into the political dialogue of the nation. It worked. By the sheer force of its collective action on that one day, the American public forever changed the political landscape respecting environmental issues."
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was a direct result of Earth Day in 1970. The Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act were passed by Congress. And the Supreme Court affirmed the EPA's role in environmental protection enforcement.
We’ve come a long way since the EPA set the first human health exposure levels. We’ve removed lead from our paint and gasoline. We no longer are exposed to DDT or asbestos on a regular basis. But technology keeps bringing us new challenges in the form of a stew of chemicals in the products we use that may or may not be harmful. These days as those chemicals are reported to be dangerous or even suspected to be, we can usually find safer alternatives from which to choose.
This year’s Earth Day Celebrations can proudly look back at the accomplishments that are a direct result of the first Earth Day, but due to our dependence on petroleum and coal for energy and transportation, we have a much bigger challenge to deal with right now.
It’s no secret that global warming is everyone’s biggest environmental challenge. The international recognition of this problem is bringing about intense research and development in water conservation, alternative energy sources and green initiatives. More and more cities are adopting green policies in building practices and in public transportation. States like California are passing laws limiting the use of dangerous chemicals in products sold to consumers.
Governmental mandates are cutting the amount of carbon gases being released into the environment, but not everyone is participating so we have more to do before we start to see a reversal of the damage which is causing our climate to change.
The choices on a personal level are growing daily. Organic food has become available in your local supermarket. Organic fibers are being used to make clothes and linen. Hybrid and electric vehicles, and bio-fuels are options for your personal transportation. Recycling and buying recycled products continues to be easier all the time. And the growth of the green building industry continues even though construction and the new housing market have slowed down.
Here’s some news you can use locally - Pinellas Living Green Expo is scheduled a couple of weeks after Earth Day this year. Set aside some time on the first weekend in May to attend the third Expo being held at the Harborview Center, 300 Cleveland St. in Clearwater, Florida. Get details at www.pinellaslivinggreenexpo.org. You’ll find exhibitors who can offer more sustainable choices and information about reducing environmental impacts in the following areas: Transportation, Energy, Home Building and Remodeling, Food, Yard and Garden, Recreation and Leisure, Household Products and Practices, Sustainability Education and Lifestyles, and Arts and Culture. It just gets better every year.
Check out Earth Day Celebrations in your neighborhood and have a great Earth Day!
Very good post! Please continue to get the word out. I hope my endorsement does not hurt your credibility. I really do have compassion and wish the best for all.
Posted by: x-ray fluorescence | January 08, 2009 at 01:47 AM
Just thought I would remind all the good peeps at Healthy Home that Burrito Boarder is a client of Healthy Home and we applied the Eco-drete products and No VOC paints in our build-out of the eco-friendly healthy restaurant! We have a poster that outlines some of our green initiatives and lists Healthy Home and Ecoproducts as partners in our effort to minimize our impact on the environment. So come by and see us at Burrito Boarder!
Posted by: Giorgio Bertrand | November 07, 2008 at 04:05 PM