Earth Day 1970 - Research Paper Example

 Title: Earth Day 1970 1. Introduction History of mankind shows numerous instances when local citizens have decided to join hands and to make a difference in their surroundings. Different groups might get together to voice their opinions against environmental pollutions or political unjust. Such types of social movements make the authorities realize the importance and critical nature of the respective issues thereby try to make conditions better for the public. One such incident took place in 1970 in America when millions of Americans came on the streets to make the government realize the deteriorating conditions of their environment. 2. Background of Earth Day 1970 It would not be wrong to state that April 22nd 1970 marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement. The aggravation in the pollution of leaded gas from vehicles, industrial dangerous emissions in the environment etc caused an alarming need for some immediate actions. Air pollution was not taken as an environmental concern rather as a sign of industrial and mechanical prosperity. The media also did not address the environmental factors since this aspect had never been discussed to a great extent in the political set up of the country. Nelson (1993) stated that the idea about Earth Day initiated in 1962 when the founder of the concept felt that the issue of environment was not being addressed in the political system of America. Bailey (2000) provided the information in his article that Senator Gaylord Nelson was the Democratic senator from Wisconsin. It was after this realization that he set it as his personal goal to make environmental welfare as one of the most important issues in the political scenario. He travelled to as much as 25 states to bring about the awareness for the precautions that should be taken to safeguard the natural treasures of the world but it was found that the people of the country were anxious to bring about some changes but not much attention could be received from the political community. The idea of Senator Gaylord was communicated to organizations and institutes around the country and the response was remarkable. He received telegrams, letters and telephone inquiries to find out more about the protests. Several incidents took place that shook the people and urged them to attempt bringing about a change in the environment. Earth Day Network (2009) pointed out that some of these incidents included Cuyohoga River explosion into flames in 1969, the sinking of a ferry that was filled with coal etc. 3. Earth Day 1970 It was the day when millions of Americans came on the streets in form of rallies to make the government realize the need to develop policies for the welfare of the environment. According to Bailey (2000); more than 2000 colleges and universities planned their protest against pollution and population growth. Fifth Avenue was closed for automobiles since around 100,000 people gathered there to attend lectures, concert and street theater related to the environmental issues. Denis Hayes was the national coordinator and another prominent name in the cause as he organized massive rallies with his young followers. Earlier, people used to take out rallies on separate environmental issues like oil spilling in the oceans, toxic dumps, pesticides, the endangerment of wildlife etc. Earth Day Network (2009) explained that Earth Day 1970 gave these people an opportunity to join hands and support the cause with a combined effort. It is considered to be the largest national protest in the history of America. Earth day reassured the fact that the energy from the public can be enough to induce a change in the society; they might not have the power to make policies or procedures but they certainly have their voice to safeguard their own and others rights. 4. Impact of Earth Day Earth Day laid down the foundation for bringing about an environmental change in the societies. It is due to this exposure and realization that people have been cautious about their lifestyles and try to play their part in the welfare of the environment. Environmental education commenced in universities and colleges to teach the younger generation about saving the environment. It is hard to imagine but true that industries used to have no check on their processes and manufacturing procedures in terms of any environmental hazard that might be caused by them. The protests from the public on the Earth Day made the authorities realize that it had turned into a crucial matter that needed their utmost attention. At the end of 1970, US Congress issued orders for the formation of a new federal agency with the name ‘US Environmental Protection Agency’ (US EPA) to monitor the procedures that might be harmful for the environment. US EPA (2010) stated that the agency’s responsibility is to repair the damage that had already been done to the environment as well as take necessary steps to save human lives and the environment from further hazardous effects. Federal goals were set up to keep waters safe for the marine life as well as humans. Government also granted great budgets to purchase land for parks so that the dangerous emissions could be reduced by the addition of trees and plants. Certain limits were imposed on industries and factories regarding their level of dangerous emissions. This day created a tradition of safeguarding the environment; Earth Day 1990 and Earth Day 2000. The objective of this day is more important than ever in the current times since the problem of global warming is increasing year after year. 5. Conclusion Earth Day was the largest protest by the citizens of America to-date. The idea of that day incepted as early as 1962 but the materialization took place in 1970. The support from the citizens was more than expected by the founders of the concept. It was a peaceful protest against the environmental conditions in the US and demanded some immediate changes or policies to make the environment better for the people and wildlife. US EPA was established as a result of the Earth Day that can be considered as its biggest accomplishment. The tradition of Earth Day was followed in 1990 and 2000 to make people aware about the increasing hazardous effects on global warming and other environmental issues. References Bailey, R., (2000), Earth Day Now and Then, Retrieved from: http://reason.com/archives/2000/05/01/earth-day-then-and-now Earth Day Network, (2009), History of Earth Day, Retrieved from: http://www.earthday.net/node/77 Nelson, S., G., (1993), How the First Earth Day Came About, American Heritage Magazine, October Issue. Retrieved from: http://earthday.envirolink.org/history.html US EPA, (2010), Earth Day and EPA History, Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/earthday/history.htm Read More