Earth Day 1970
The genesis of Earth Day and subsequent environmental movements is often attributed to Rachel’s Carson’s book Silent Spring. In it, Carson publicizes the link between contaminants to the environment—in this case DDT pesticide—and the effects on humans and other animals. The message took root and became a movement.
Eight years later, the first Earth Day events were held on April 22, 1970, 51 years ago. The US Senator who nurtured the movement into the first Earth Day was Senator Gaylord Nelson of Oregon. Many of the problems and issues he spoke about (in the first clip below) still exist today, emphasizing the need for more and better action.
Events that first Earth Day were held around the US, involving an estimated 20 million people. Depending on which city you were in, you might have seen Paul Newman, Pete Seeger, the cast of Hair, or other performers at these events.
CBS News had a Special Report anchored by Walter Cronkite that evening 51 years ago about that first Earth Day. It may be hard for some people today to realize the significance of that broadcast. CBS was one of only four networks in the US, and Cronkite was sometimes referred to as “most trusted man in America.” Special Reports back then were infrequent, not like the Breaking News segments that seem to appear every 20 minutes these days: the preceding Special Report was on the malfunction of Apollo 13 a week earlier, another major event.
At the bottom of this blog are links to a number of videos on YouTube with portions of that report. In the first segment, events in Denver were the first of several cities highlighted. (Bear in mind that some of the vocabulary used is not what most of us would use today.)
In the conclusion to the report, the last video linked below, Mr. Cronkite says “[o]nly time will tell if these demonstrations accomplished anything.” They accomplished much: that first Earth Day led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency and passage of major legislation such as the Clean Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Pretty amazing stuff!
But much remains to be done. And if you’ve read this far, you probably don’t need us to give you another laundry list of to-dos. You already know many of these.
However, should you have a “friend’ that needs some additional information on how to make a difference, the CO-Z app from Hygge Power is coming soon. With the app, your friends can learn additional ways to reduce their energy consumption, their energy bills, and the emissions generated in the production of that energy. Watch this channel, more to come.
Get out there and make a difference. Happy Earth Day 2021!!
Cites:
Links to portions of CBS’ Special Report on Earth Day 1970: