Tomorrow is Earth Day. It happens every year on April 22nd. But most Americans probably don’t even remember or know much about how Earth Day actually began.
It started in 1970, and anyone living in Southern California back then, especially in the Los Angeles area, will remember what the air was like in 1970. You could often not even see the big mountains east of L-A because of the smog.
Air pollution was common in many cities in 1970 and it was then that the environmental movement began, led by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson and sparked in part by what happened in January of the year before in 1969, when the massive oil spill in Santa Barbara happened and ravaged the central California coast.
According to the Earth Day website, the Wisconsin Senator wanted to infuse the energy of student anti-war protests at the time with the growing concern about air and water pollution.
The first Earth Day in 1970 was unique, especially given the political divisions of today. The idea got support from Republicans and Democrats. And that first Earth Day led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
Now, 53 years later, the heavy smog of decades ago is gone and our environment is much better than it was. And that is worth celebrating, no matter what side of the political divide you’re on.
(Photo Getty Images)
Photo: Getty Images