The Earth Stewards committee had originally planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on Sunday, April 19, but obviously that couldn’t happen due to the virus pandemic. We hope to celebrate the event sometime in the fall after things are back to normal. Although that may seem strange, we really should be honoring our Mother Earth every day of the year.
We hope you have been able to get outside and enjoy nature during this time of sheltering in place. Here in Oregon we are blessed with wonderful weather, beautiful scenery and gorgeous plants, many of which are in full bloom right now. We are also celebrating the fact that during this difficult time for humans, the earth has enjoyed a little bit of recovery. That gives us hope that if we all set our minds to doing something about reducing our impact on the environment that we truly may be able to save our Mother Earth.
Our committee sends you all best wishes for good health. Enjoy the beauty of nature, and vow to help preserve that beauty.
Earth Day, 2020 A Look Back
On January 28, 1969, an oil spill occurred off the coast of Santa Barbara, California. At the time it was the largest spill in the United States waters. Today it is ranked the third largest. Only the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and the 1989 Exxon Valdez spills were larger. Thousands of birds and an unknown number of sea mammals were killed.
The public attention on the oil spill spurred lawmakers into action and marked a turning point for environmental activism. The Environmental Protection Agency was created in December, 1970. Other laws passed or strengthened during this period included the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts.
A year later, Gaylord Nelson, former Wisconsin governor and senator, sponsored an environmental teach-in on April 22. 20 million Americans, including students at more than 2,000 colleges and universities as well as primary and secondary students took part in the national conversation about the environment.
While in the Senate, Nelson authored the Wilderness Act, the Nationals Trails System Act, the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the national Environmental Education Act, and worked to ban the use of DDT. He stated “The wealth of the nation is its air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats, and biodiversity. That’s the whole economy.”
Today we continue to honor the earth on Earth Day, April 22, as well as during the whole week. Let’s celebrate and honor our Mother Earth every day of the year. Where would we be without her?
