Earth Day Begins With You!

On April 22, we will once again celebrate Earth Day. This Earth Day marks the 50th anniversary, but because of COVID-19, it will be unlike any of the years before. Those of us that can remember the first Earth Day witnessed a rare political alignment, where Republicans and Democrats came together with business and labor, city dwellers, and those in rural areas came together to protect our environment. Efforts by Democrat Senator Gaylord Nelson and Republican Pete McCloskey, who selected Denis Hayes to hold rallies to support “Earth Day” and thereby inspired millions of Americans. Estimates indicate that some 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day. That was about 10% of the total U.S. population at the time.

It shows what can happen beyond partisan politics. Under President Nixon and later under President Ford’s leadership together with the support of Congress, Republicans and Democrats worked together to pass landmark environmental legislation. Because of Earth Day, the United States created during these Republican administrations, the Environmental Protection Agency. It enacted the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and the Endangered Species Act. DDT was banned.

However, today our Nation faces challenges in dealing with a deadly virus, but we should not forget the meaning of Earth Day. Indeed, while we are debating whether we should open our economy, there are still things that each of us can do while practicing social distancing to help our environment.

You see, Earth Day begins with you. You and your family and friends, even if living apart, can improve the environment by taking even little steps can help. You can take shorter showers, turn off lights when not in use, and learn from environmentally focused programs and websites. You can use reusable utensils from home even while you support local businesses and restaurants when you get take-out or delivery.

Be creative; think about how you can make Earth Day a reality. Explore opportunities for decisive action that you can take where you live and on social media and the internet.

Be part of Earth Day, you can make a difference!