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In 1968, Apollo 8 gave the world a photo of our planet from space, Earthrise. For the first time humanity was able to view their tiny place in space from afar. Seeing our home as a whole allowed people to grasp just how small and fragile the Earth is. It was said to be the most influential environmental photograph ever taken. The following year the United States put a man on the moon. This new perspective of our planet helped generate a push from the public for environmental protection.
This push led to powerful environmental acts such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. It also led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the first Earth Day.
People began to realize that it is our ethical duty to protect our environment.
The first Earth day was organized on the 22nd of April 1970 using the collective energy of the time and is seen as beginning of the environmental movement.
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The first Earth Day was organized as a national "teach in" on the environment. It was a grassroots event that, once the plan was announced in the fall of 1969, spread through college campuses all over America.
This came at a time when industry chugged away polluting our skies, rivers, lakes, and oceans without consequence. Leaded gas was pumped into cars. Oil spills were common and a river caught fire! But it was also a time when young people were taking to the streets to protest the wrong they saw in their country and the world. There was an incredible energy put out by the youth for the Anti-War Movement and the Civil Rights Movement.
Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, saw this energy and used it to spread awareness of the environmental issues of the time.
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| Denis Hayes, national coordinator, in the Earth Day campaign office (AP) |
The first Earth Day was organized as a national "teach in" on the environment. It was a grassroots event that, once the plan was announced in the fall of 1969, spread through college campuses all over America.
"On the 22nd of April, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values." EarthDay.org
In New York City, a portion of fifth avenue was shut down and a rally was held in Union Square.
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| Children sweep Union Square on Earth Day 1970. |
A major shift in shared perception occurred in the late sixties and seventies. Young people revolted against the conservative social norms at the time and demanded change. From this came the Civil Rights Movement, the Anti-War Movement and the Environmental Movement.
Today, more than ever, a major shift needs to occur again! Climate change is the most pressing issue of our time and we all need to do our part. Join an Earth Day event and see how you can help, not only on this special day but everyday.
Earth Day events this year in New York City:
Wednesday, Earth Day 22 April 2015
TEDC Earth Day Celebration - Earth Matters: Designing our Future, John L. Tishman Auditorium, University Center
10:00 am to 8:00 pm (FREE)
Educators Inspiring Sustainability and Justice , BK Farmyards
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM (FREE)
Earth Day NY is hosting a 5K Walk and Green Tour event, Union Square
(Come visit me, Dana, at the Hort stand. We will be making seed bombs!)
Earth Day Craft & Mini Garden Tour - Queen's Botanical Garden
3:30 p.m.–5:00 p.m. (FREE w admission)
Hattie Carthan Herban Farm: Earth Day Celebration- Bed-stuy
11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. (FREE)
April 24-26, 2015
Green Festival Expo, Javits Convention Center
Future GrowNYC Stop'N'Swap - Community Reuse events
Thursday, April 23 - Brooklyn
12pm-3pm, Brooklyn Borough Hall
Saturday, April 25 - Bronx
12pm-3pm, Westchester Square
Sunday, April 26 - Queens
11am-2pm, Central Queens Y
Saturday, 2 May
Earth Day Rockaway, Rockaway Beach
12:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. (FREE)
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