Happy Earth Day. Let’s begin today’s nod to Earth Day with a compilation of numerous videos from CBS’s Walter Conkrite on the first Earth Day from around the country, which contained a reference to Denver’s smoggy skies in the first segment. Going to school in a small southern Colorado community, I was somewhat sheltered from Denver’s air quality notoriety at the time and found was surprised the state capitol was specifically singled out. It speaks volumes of how important the issue was and continues to be featured in the news, especially with the extreme weather patterns we are experiencing across the globe.
The original idea of bringing attention to the environment came from Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wyoming following a 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Sen. Nelson who enlisted the help of a young activist, Denis Hayes, had growing concerns for the environment following Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring which was gaining attention among environmental groups and wanted a unified cause to provide a way for disparate groups find a way to join together and bring information and education to people on the impact of pesticides were on farm workers and the environment.
The first Earth Day saw approximately 20 million people participate, many using the day to clean up streets in their neighborhoods. New York’s Earth Day parade shut down Fifth Ave. Later that year, The Environmental Protection Agency was created by then president, Richard Nixon. A condensed timeline can be found at the EPA’s website. Earth Day went global in 1990 and is now recognized around the world.
As you begin this week, I hope you take some time to look at your immediate environment and do something to improve it even if it’s just picking up trash or something a bit more lasting like not using plastic bags. January 2024 saw Colorado ban plastic bags from large retail stores as well as prohibiting restaurants and retail food establishments from using Styrofoam takeout containers.
Although today’s post is of a serious nature, we still want to end it with a small smile and hope it prompts you to do whatever you can to help this growing problem. Semper Fido.
Live, love, bark! 🐾
