Do you remember the first Earth Day? Terra does!
Today is the 52nd anniversary of that original celebration, so let’s take a look at the history of Earth Day.
In the 1960s, factories still spewed black clouds of toxic smoke into the air and dumped toxic sludge into waterways with no legal restrictions. A handful of groups were growing concerned about the link between pollution, pesticides, loss of wilderness and the health of the environment, people, and animals, but had limited impact.
Then several pivotal events occurred to change that.
- In 1962 Rachel Carson published her landmark book on the dangers of pesticides, Silent Spring. I remember I cried when I read it.
- Then in 1969, the largest oil spill up to that date occurred near Santa Barbara, killing thousands of sea birds, dolphins, seals and other marine animals. It’s still the third largest spill in US history.
- A few months later the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland literally caught on fire due to the high level of pollution. We watched that burning river and oil-soaked dying animals on the nightly news and people were galvanized into action.
- Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin lobbied for a national teach-in to reach students, and with Denis Hayes and others, organized events across the country to encourage all citizens, not just students, to participate in raising awareness of what was happening to the environment.
That first Earth Day, 20 million Americans gathered in streets, parks and auditoriums to rally for a healthy environment. The rallies centered on shared values and drew support from Republicans and Democrats, city dwellers and rural citizens, business and labor.
Within the next two years Congress had passed the Environmental Protection Act and created the Environmental Protection Agency, passed the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other acts to protect the environment.
By 1990, Earth Day was recognized in 140 countries worldwide. Today, it is considered the largest secular observance in the world, with more than a billion people celebrating globally. Sadly, that original fervor was diluted over the years by skepticism, climate change denial, and an apathetic public. Today we are seeing the results of that deferred action on global warming.
So today, on the anniversary of Earth Day, Terra challenges all of us find that passion again, to work together, to sacrifice, to search for solutions, to continue the legacy of that first celebration and protect the world we are blessed to live in!