Earth Day

Earth Day began in 1970 as a reaction to public consciousness about the state of our planet.

In the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming huge amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of the consequences from either the law or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Until this point, mainstream America remained largely oblivious to environmental concerns and how a polluted environment threatens human health.

In 1962, Rachel Carson published her book Silent Spring which detailed how the use of DDT had caused damage to wildlife, birds, bees, agricultural animals, domestic pets and even humans. It became an immediate best-seller in 24 countries and led to people giving more thought to the use of pesticides.

Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin is known as the founder of Earth Day. He had long been concerned about environmental issues and he capitalized on the country’s anti-war sentiment on college campuses to bring people together.

Earth Day inspired 20 million Americans to take to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate against the impact of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health issues.

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 united on Earth Day around these shared common values. Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, business and labor leaders.

By the end of 1970, the first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and to the passage of other first-of-their-kind environmental laws, including the National Environmental Education Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Clean Air Act. Two years later, Congress passed the Clean Water Act. A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act and, soon after, the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act.

These laws have protected millions of men, women and children from disease and death and have protected hundreds of species from extinction.

In the 1990s, Sen. Nelson was again called upon to help organize another Earth Day event, this time going global and mobilizing over 200 million people in 141 countries which gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-president Bill Clinton.

And some of those 200 million people are right here in Rockdale. The Rockdale Earth Day chapter began in 2015 as a group of our citizens who were striving to improve the appearance of our town through community cleanup efforts, special projects involving refurbishing and enhancing venues and spaces around town; and to provide educational offerings to teach and inform community members on issues such as conservation, recycling and the imperative to respect nature and all of its inhabitants.

You can get in on the action by participating in their day of community service on Thursday, April 22 at the Rockdale High School gym from 9 a.m. to noon. Work crews will be sent out into the community to pick up litter. Over the years, this event has grown to include over 150 students and community members doing their part to make our town shine.

For information on how you or your church or civic organization can get involved, please email Chairman David Melton at rockdaleearthday@ yahoo.com or just show up at the gym on the day of the event.