Celebrate Earth Day History
By: Stephanie Benney
With Earth Day fast approaching this Friday, April 22, 2011, I wanted to dedicate my article this week to the history of Earth Day and of course, Mother Earth, who protects and loves us unconditionally. Many of us have no idea how Earth Day even came into existence. Not surprisingly, it began to evolve in the sixties. It was a time of rebellion, ingenuity, love, hate, freedom and imprisonment. People were starting to question everything and pondering topics that had never before been of interest or importance.
One day a man had a global vision. His name was Senator Gaylord Nelson and he wanted to place political focus and concentration on the environment. He wanted to accomplish this by having President Kennedy go on an eleven state conservation tour, spreading awareness and word regarding environmental issues. The tour was not as successful as Senator Nelson or President Kennedy had hoped for, but it was enough to start the buzz they needed and to catapult the idea into other possibilities.
For years, Senator Nelson would travel around the country on speaking tours, trying to get the attention of the politicians, but they were not listening. During his tours, anti-Vietnam War demonstrations had spread all across the country to college campuses. He was struck with idea of organizing a grassroots protest against what was being done to the environment. His goal was to gain momentum and activity from the college students, creating a viral buzz about the protests and events to be held regarding environmental concerns. People would finally be able to have a forum and an outlet to voice their concerns about the land, rivers, oceans, animals and general eco-system.
The official birth of Earth Day was April 22, 1970. The overwhelming success of this campaign soon became more than Senator Nelson’s staff could handle and a separate headquarters was launched in Washington, D.C. Senator Nelson was overjoyed by the success of Earth Day and credits the thousands of schools and participants with organizing such an amazing experience.
Forty-plus years later, Earth Day is stronger than ever and with rising concerns of ozone depletion, air and water quality, land conservation and waste management, there is no doubt that it will only continue to prosper. There are new, creative events popping up every day to encourage respect for our beautiful planet.
Pittsburgh prides itself in being composed of many small, ethnic and eclectic neighborhoods, all creating a greater whole. I have chosen to share four of Earth Week’s upcoming events that help to maintain our three rivers, parks and unique aesthetic appeal.
“Picnic for the Planet” encourages people globally to plan a picnic, eat green, eat locally and enjoy the backdrop of their favorite park. Currently, there is one picnic planned in Butler and two in Squirrel Hill. For more information regarding how you can start your own picnic, go to www.earthday.nature.org
Spend the day planting seeds and flowers on the banks of the South Side’s Waterfront during REI’s Earth Day Celebration being held April 22, 2011. Or start the morning of April 23rd off with “Breakfast with the Dinosaurs” at Carnegie Museum.
If those dates don’t work for you, you can still participate in The Great PA Cleanup, part of The Great American Cleanup campaign. Cleanups run through May 31st and include involvement by many of our local boroughs and municipalities. To find out more, visit www.gacofpa.org
“Our Planet Earth is home to all humans, but scientifically speaking it belongs only to the Universe. It belongs equally to all humans. This is the natural, geometrical law. Any laws of men which contradict nature are unenforceable and specious”
~Buckminster Fuller
Stephanie Benney is a “Sustainable Visionary” and also the new Pittsburgh Representative for Fuzed Marketing, where she helps companies increase their brand presence. stephaniebenney@yahoo.com