Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Earth Day Addresses Vital Issues

Incidents of littering have brought about concerns for the environment.

After all, this is the only planet we have and if we don't take care of it we will have nowhere to go and none to blame but ourselves.

Because of environmental concerns some 29 years ago, through the efforts of Sen. Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was created. Earth Day will be celebrated Thursday, April 22, worldwide.

The idea actually began in 1963 when Nelson brought environmental concerns to the late President John F. Kennedy. The concept was to bring national visibility to the issue with a nationwide conservation tour by Kennedy.

Under the plan, the president would spell out the environmental problems and proposing a comprehensive agenda to address correcting the situation.

Kennedy agreed and began his conservation tour in the fall of '63. Senators Hubert Humphrey, Gene McCarthy, Joe Clark and Nelson accompanied the President on the first leg of the trip to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

However, the tours failed to generate the response Nelson and Kennedy hoped for and environmental concerns failed to become national political issues.

Seven years later, Nelson, who continued working to preserve the environment, Earth Day was proclaimed.

Letters were sent to all 50 governors at the time, and to mayors of all the major cities in the nation. The letters explained what Earth Day was and sought proclamations recognizing the event.

Wire services carried the event nationwide, with the first Earth Day occurring in the Spring of 1970.

It achieved what Nelson had originally hoped for getting a national demonstration of concern for the environment. Some 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day in peaceful demonstrations.

With today's technology, earthday.org was created to serve those who want to improve the environment and show responsible stewardship of the land.