Category:Earth Day

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The First "Earth Day", April 22, 1970

SJS/GreenPolicy360 Siterunner:

The following Earth Day page retraces footsteps of a Pro-peace, Anti-war movement that led to the first "Earth Day"

A US Senator (Gaylord Nelson), a US Congressmen (George E. Brown) step up in support of our student organizing and calls-to-action

An historic oil spill in January 1969 hits the California coastline and escalates environmental awareness in California and across the U.S.

Steven Schmidt/GreenPolicy360 Founder: Senator Bill Nelson, often credited with having proposed the first "Earth Day", was listening to us. We and Congressional friends were talking to him, meetings were held, conversations conducted during his California visits in 1968-70, and in Washington DC beginning in 1968. We spoke to him about our organizing, pro-peace and our shifting to 'green', pro- environmental protection work. Students were in front, organizing in California and across the nation, as millions came out in 1969 and 1970 Vietnam Moratorium and peace rallies. A 'whole earth, pro-life' environmental movement sprung first-ever images delivered by NASA's Apollo program, and arising from a 1968 student-led campaign waged. Student activists moved powerfully. Political figures and forces responded ...

Your GreenPolicy360 Siterunner is remembering Congressional Representatives with names like Nelson, Brown (George E), McCloskey (Pete), Lowenstein (Allard), Riegle (Donald), McCarthy (Eugene), Morris (Wayne) became our allies...

Senator Nelson, an eco-voyager, watched, met with, and listened to us during those years and then told the world how much we influenced him. He spoke of the genesis of his Earth Day proposal, pointing at student activism against the war, environmental activism against the historic oil spill along the coast of California ...

"If we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse student energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force the issue onto the national political agenda," Senator Bill Nelson (D-WI) said after one of his 1969 trips to California.

The day after the October 1969 rallies/teach-ins/demonstrations/marches that brought millions out against the war in Vietnam, Senator Nelson made a special trip to Los Angeles to speak to us at the University of Southern California. He told us we can bring positive change and to keep on doing what we where doing.

"I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation's priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problems of the environment. Successful teach-ins on all campuses on the same day will have a dramatic impact on the environmental conscience of the nation. They will be immensely effective as an educational effort in arousing public opinion..."

Senator Nelson's staff described the work as a "Mass Movement" back then. The Senator received "500 invitations" to speak on the first "Earth Day". He accepted ours and flew to LA to say 'thank you'.

* https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:USC_Daily_Trojan_Sen_Nelson_speech_day_after_first_Earth_Day_.jpg

In 2023 on Earth Day, the Story Continues, Recalling 50+ Years of Environmental Organizing

Remembering Earth's Day inspiration -- 'Earthrise', Apollo 8, December 1968

April 22, 2023

Mainstream Media Covers Earth Day Events in 2023

Eco-Politics in the News, Links, Support and Resistance

1970 - 2023 as Environmental Protection Moves On and On ...

• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/documentaries-to-watch-for-earth-day-streaming/

• https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/21/climate/earth-day-reads.html

• https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/its-earth-day-and-the-news-isnt-good

• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/22/appalling-earth-day-greenwashing-a-risk-to-progress-says-protest-founder-aoe

• https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3963816-this-earth-day-a-major-climate-decision-looms-for-biden/

• https://globalocean.noaa.gov/global-ocean-observing-for-earth-day/

• https://www.nrdc.org/stories/story-silent-spring

• https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/special-message-the-congress-environmental-quality

• https://www.epa.gov/history/origins-epa

• https://www.earthday.org/history/

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Env_policy_laws_US_%27the_beginning%27_of_env_era.jpg

• https://nelsonearthday.net/gaylord-nelson-earth-day-origins/

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2023/04/21/executive-order-on-revitalizing-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/

And... in Washington DC, threats to historic climate legislation

* https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/20/house-gop-debt-limit-plan-inflation-reduction-act-00092891

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Planet Citizens

Celebrating Earth's Beauty

 

Let's look back, 50+ years...

DYK? Yes, we do know, and we remember what we did to set a whole earth vision in motion !

Beginnings of the Modern Environmental Movement

Earth Day Memories on the 50th Anniversary

Earth Day 2020

50th Anniversary of first Earth Day "Teach-In" / April 22, 1970

Art by Olivia Schmidt / BY-NC

Creative Commons / Use w/ Attribution + Non-commercial

 

On the 50th Anniversary

Memories on the Road to the First Earth Day

The Vietnam Moratorium and how it led to the First Earth Day

• • https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/Earth_Day_Memories_on_the_50th_Anniversary

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Looking Back: @USC organizing the California anti-war movement/a USC Cinema Dept. film of the Moratorium

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Moratorium_October_15_1969.jpg

A Personal Story, Your GreenPolicy360 Siterunner, Reflections of Olden Days - 1969/70/71

By Steven Schmidt / GreenPolicy360 Siterunner

* https://www.greenpolicy360.net/mw/images/1969_beginnings_of_the_modern_environmental_movement.pdf

Vietnam Moratorium Organizing 1969-70

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Vietnam_Moratorium_Committee-Documentary_Intro.jpg

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wLCWEU-6qA&t=32s

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Moratorium_October_15_1969.jpg

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Doomsday_Machine-Daniel_Ellsberg-Recalling_the_Vietnam_Moratorium_Oct-Nov_1969.jpg

• https://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/File:Moratorium_memory,_Dan-Steve,_Doomsday_Machine_inscription.jpg

• https://www.strategicdemands.com/doomsday-machine/

Attempting to Turn from War to Peace

An Environmental Movement in the Making

#PlanetCitizen | #PlanetCitizens | #PlanetCitizensPlanetScientists

October 15, 1969 - In Memory

Senator Nelson, founder of Earth Day at USC

Congressman George E. Brown, East LA, with an environmental agenda

Looking back at the beginning of the modern environmental movement

SJS/GreenPolicy360 Siterunner:

Throughout 1969 and 1970, our student movement organized both pro-peace Vietnam Moratorium actions and pro-environmental protection actions. Two U.S. Representatives were central in the work -- George E. Brown and Gaylord Nelson. Another Representative who helped us was Pete McCloskey. There are many stories of meetings, and organizing, and networking, and coordinating -- often called "grassroots" and up... We saw our efforts picked up in the press and by the media, by churches and labor, and business leaders, the work was looking to find wide support. Many responded, millions came out to express their feelings and beliefs.

On the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, a beginning of green ideals and ideas emerged in a serious way... Today Earth Day continues on as a movement and a political cause. Now we are a diverse mix, across the globe, employing the Internet with many voices, colors, ages, especially young people joining in. We continue on year after year, decade after decade.... We are strongly confronting and working to solve our generation's existential challenges. Reaching across our home planet, touching and interacting with planet citizens, looking to share solutions to pressing problems and challenges.

Generation Green

Environmentalism took on new forms and shapes with ideas that became a legal platform, a first generation of environmental laws that would go worldwide. A new "counterculture" with youthful vision and organizing added their voices and stood up to create the beginnings of a global environmental movement.

With a goal of protecting life, a new environmental movement began to grow, a "Whole Earth" vision seen for the first time from space in 1968 with the iconic Apollo 8 Earthrise image and a very real 'sense' of our common responsibility for the future of the planet. Students were 'first-movers' who spoke of the existential threat of nuclear war and environmental disaster, and need to 'become' far-reaching with a new vision. Realizations grew internationally that we had created weapons capable of ending humanity and most all life of earth -- and we needed to change this nuclear doomsday threat. Protests and 'teach ins', led by students, and drawing in politicians, communities, media, news with pamphlets, books, music, art and demonstrations crossed continents with new symbols, peace symbols, environmental and eco-awareness.

The threads of teach-ins led directly to and the first Earth Day in 1970 as students expanded counterculture with action.

Across the U.S., a first Earth Day of teach-ins began as a student-initiated movement on college campuses including your siterunner's college where we proposed an environment and peace action day to Senator Nelson, who we met as we organized the national Moratorium and who worked with us to make an Earth Day a national political event.

We invited Senator Nelson to speak at the University of Southern California for Earth Day and he agreed. Students who organized pro-peace and then pro-environment actions, as the Senator explained, inspired him to propose a national environmental action. The peace activists of the 1969 Vietnam war moratorium shared a positive vision of what was needed and he listened. In California meetings, he listened. Environmental protection, economic and social justice, new priorities added to the nation's agenda. The work spread quickly. A foundation of organizing sprang into action and Earth Day's teach-ins reached out to students and new networks formed globally. A worldwide environmental movement became a real and growing political force...

Senator Nelson, an eco-voyager who watched, met with, and listened to us:

"I am convinced that the same concern the youth of this nation took in changing this nation's priorities on the war in Vietnam and on civil rights can be shown for the problems of the environment. Successful teach-ins on all campuses on the same day will have a dramatic impact on the environmental conscience of the nation. They will be immensely effective as an educational effort in arousing public opinion..."

"If we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse student energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force the issue onto the national political agenda," Senator Bill Nelson (D-WI) said after one of his 1969 trips to California.

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Earth Day -- April 22, 1970

April 22, 2020 -- 50 Years On

Bioneers interview with Hispanic activist Arturo Sandoval:

You were part of Denis Hayes’ team that produced the first Earth Day in 1970. What was that experience like?

ARTURO: It was my first time organizing on a national level. I worked with a very bright team. It was lots of work. It was very exhilarating. It completely exceeded anything we hoped to achieve. It was like holding onto the tail of the tiger. We were basically just trying to stay out of the way of a freight train coming down the tracks because the response to the first Earth Day was so overwhelming. It was huge. It was just unbelievable, and took everything we had to just try to connect the dots and get information out to the people and not get in their way.

 

Via the Los Angeles Times

(LA Times, 2020): On an August day in 1969, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, was in Santa Barbara inspecting what he later described as “that awful oil spill” and “puzzling about what could be done to bring public opinion to bear on the lethargic political community.” Over the next month he hatched a plan. Teach-ins — sit-ins that offered lessons about specific topics — were the rage in the activist 1960s, and Nelson wondered what might happen if the whole country engaged in a teach-in on how human activity imperiled the natural world. Thus Earth Day was born, and 50 years ago today some 20 million people — a tenth of the U.S. population — gathered at thousands of local events, propelling concerns about the environment onto the national agenda, where it’s been ever since.

 

Earth Right Now

 

○ "To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers ..." -- NASA Original Mission Statement (1958)

○ "You can manage only what you can measure." -- NASA, Earth Right Now Science Program

 

 

 

 

Earthrise to Earth Day

• http://www.earthday.org/earth-day-history-movement

• http://www.greenpolicy360.net/w/Environmental_movement

 

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