How did Earth Day get started? Let’s take a look at the origins of this widely-celebrated day of action as well as its role in efforts to preserve the Earth’s natural resources and to protect public health.
Earth Day Ideation
The 1950s marked a time of tremendous industrial and economic growth in the United States. Consumerism gave way to manufacturing and mass production. Americans had more spending power than ever before. In fact, the economy grew by a whopping 37 percent in the 1950s alone.
However, the counterculture era of the 1960s questioned the embrace of a consumerist culture, and sought to scale back the social and environmental impacts brought on by the boom of the 50s. Environmental activists began to awaken the public consciousness regarding water and air pollution, oil production, and nuclear energy – helping to set a national agenda.
In 1969, the city of Santa Barbara, California, experienced the largest oil spill of its time. Around 100,000 barrels of crude oil were dumped into the waters and beaches along the coastal city’s northern Channel Islands by Union Oil. The spill brought national public attention and awareness to the devastating affects the oil spill had on natural lands and wildlife.
Having seen the national coverage of the massive spill and how it ravaged the environment, Wisconsin U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson, decided he could start an awareness campaign – a movement so-to-speak. Inspired by the student activism of the Vietnam War, Senator Nelson organized a “national teach-in on the environment” that took place on April 22, 1970, and engaged 20 million Americans across the country.
The First Earth Day
In a true grassroots movement, Wisconsin U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson, organized a nation that took to the streets in opposition of the spill. The people’s movement was also in favor of protecting the environment at large, and advocating for public policy that advanced clean air and water reform, and propelled positive impact on public health for the betterment of all. The first Earth Day in 1970 ultimately led to the Clean Air Act of 1970, and the Clean Water Act of 1972.
The Clean Air Act regulates air emissions and authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish National Air Quality Standards to protect public health against dangerous air pollutants.
Similarly, the Clean Water Act (CWA) established regulations for discharging pollutants into water systems in the United States. Also implemented by the EPA, the CWA sets national standards for contaminating water quality, and makes it unlawful to discharge any pollutant into navigable waters without a permit.
Earth Day Celebrations This Year and Beyond
The founding ideas behind the original Earth Day are as – if not more – important than ever today. Proposed cuts to the EPA spanning up to $8.1 billion in federal funding will shrink EPA budget spending by 31%, according to the New York Times.
At Cool Choices, we see that protecting clean air and water, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are important to companies, employees, and stakeholders across the nation. We see business taking a leadership role on sustainability, ensuring progress on key environmental goals even as the federal government steps back from those goals.
You can help to make every day Earth Day by doing something to decrease your carbon footprint and environmental impact today!
If you are part of an organization that takes sustainability seriously, learn how you can accelerate your sustainability efforts the fun, social, and easy way!
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