"Our
goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty.
The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect
for all other human being and all living creatures." - Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day 1970
In the coming week, cities across the country will celebrate Earth Day, hosting local events focusing on education and environmental awareness, providing a day for family fun and entertainment.
What we have come to expect and anticipate in April each year might never have come to pass, however, were it not for the vision and tireless work of a junior senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson.
In the 1960's, concepts like environmentalism, conservation and wilderness designation were yet to gain any national awareness, let alone momentum. But that did not deter Senator Nelson. In his first Senate speech, supporting
a bill banning phosphates in detergents, he insisted that "we need
this...just as desperately as we need the defense against atomic missiles." His pleas fell on deaf ears as his fellow legislators voted down the bill, just
as similar pleas could not win him a single co-sponsor for his 1966
bill banning DDT.
And while he was able to lure President Kennedy to take
a "conservation
tour" of
Wisconsin and the West in 1963, he watched helplessly as the President,
the press, and audiences preferred to debate taxes and Cold War
politics.
He would need a new plan if he hoped to get attention in Washington!
The idea came to him in August of 1969 after surveying the devastating oil spill in Santa Barbara. College students had been
successfully staging teach-ins to educate their campuses about the war in Vietnam.
What if students used the same forum to raise environmental
awareness, and what if they coordinate their events to fall on the same
day, grabbing headlines and sending a strong environmental message to
the Capitol? Senator Nelson proposed the idea in front of a small, fledgling conservation
group in Seattle and a short wire story broadcast
the idea.
Seven months later Nelson's idea resulted in the largest demonstration
in U.S. history. Millions of Americans observed Earth Day in April 1970,
whether in groups of tens of thousands in New York or Philadelphia or
with events big and small at thousands of colleges and schools across
the country. While Nelson with his staff worked tirelessly to promote
the day and coordinate select events, he would grow fond of saying Earth
Day "organized
itself." Nelson encouraged all Americans to celebrate the day "in
any way they want."
So in the coming week, where ever you live, take a moment and celebrate Earth Day in any way you want. And however you choose to celebrate, remember the challenges of the past and make a personal commitment to ensuring your future and your children's future includes an "...environment of decency, quality and mutual respect
for all other human being and all living creatures."
Learn more about the work of Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day.
