Earth Day

Earth Day actually began in 1962 with the seeds planted by Senator Gaylord Nelson who brought the idea to then Attorney General Robert Kennedy and consequently launched President Kennedy’s 5 day, 11 state conservation tour a year later. Unfortunately the politicians didn’t get behind it so Senator Gaylord spent the next 6 years touring the country hoping to find a way to bring environmental concerns into the political mainstream.

Observing the anti-war demonstrations called “teach-ins” spreading across the campuses it occurred to him that a similar grassroots approach could inspire a national interest and concern about the environment. In September of 1969, at a conference in Seattle, tapping into the anti-war energy, he announced that there would be a nationwide demonstration concerning environmental issues the following spring and thus the germination of those seeds planted 7 years earlier began. The forum Senator Nelson created for these previously scattered individuals concerned about the future of our rivers, streams, air and climate enabled the people to unite.

Two months later Gladwin Hill’s article in the New York Times chronicling the groundswell of attention drew more attention to the coming demonstration:

“Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation’s campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam…a national day of observance of environmental problems…is being planned for next spring…when a nationwide environmental ‘teach-in’…coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned….”

In an article reviewing the event the Senator said “Earth Day worked because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated. That was the remarkable thing about Earth Day. It organized itself.’

On April 22, 2010 175 countries will celebrate the 40th Anniversary of this historic beginning and as the effects of climate change become more noticeable in our daily lives the people are raising their voices with the hope that politicians will begin to realize that they hold the whole world in their hands. An odd consequence of our current economy seems to be the adoption of green business practices as a marketing tool, pushing environmental consciousness further into the limelight.