While giving a speech in Seattle, Washington in the fall of 1969 Democratic U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson casually mentioned the idea of a national day of environmental education. Shortly after he hired a small staff of young activists to turn his idea into reality. Seven months later, on April 22, 1970, over 12,000 independently organized Earth Day events were held around the country. There was no organization organizing events or providing implementation support and guidance; only a small staff promoting an idea. They did their job well; schools closed so that students could participate in local activities or provided special educational opportunities, and many colleges held special environmental sessions that proved so popular that they were expanded and incorporated into the curriculum. Even Congress adjourned for the day so that its members could be seen participating in their home districts. Within three years, the Republican Congress passed the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act and established the Environmental Protection Agency. Subsequent Congresses in the remainder of the Nixon administration and in the Ford administration passed a number of important environmental laws. Those days are long gone. In spite of the fact that the United States and the rest of the world is facing the most dire environmental crises in our history, climate change, todays’ Republicans are intent on dismantling existing environmental legislation and preventing any new environmental legislation. Continue reading
Make Every Day Climate Day: Learn! Teach! Act!
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