I Remember the First Earth Day

Published by admin under Firsts, Historic Events on April 22, 2009

How could I forget the first Earth Day?  It was my last year of high school, and being April 22, 1970, it was only a couple months before graduation. I’m sure my focus at that time was on the day I would FINALLY be finished with school…at least the schooling you didn’t have a choice about…but I do remember caring about the environment and natural things from early childhood, so the day had some significance to me.

The “hippy” movement had been going on for some time, and the “Jesus” movement was still to come.  Rebelling against “the establishment” was “groovy” and though there were elements of the rebellion that weren’t good, the desire to return to natural things that took place then, and we see repeating itself now, was taking shape in a very big way.

One way that this was expressed was by setting aside a day to focus on the environment, and wake up “the establishment” to the need to conserve our natural resources.  I wasn’t part of the “college scene” yet, but knew a lot about demonstrations…so very popular at the time, anti-war demonstrations, anti-this, anti-that.  People gathered by the thousands to show their support for a concept started by an environmentalist and politician, Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin.

Next year will be the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, where did the time go?  Have we learned anything?

Click here to learn more about GOING GREEN and SAVING GREEN.