…Because Earth Day is Every Day
In 1969 a Harvard law student named Denis Hayes dropped out of school to organize the very first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. That historic day involving twenty million people led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act. Last month, Earth Day 2000 focused on Global Warming. “It was a day when people all over the world stopped to think about what kind of planet they want to leave for their children,” says Hayes.
But if you missed the festivities that took place in 185 different countries on the planet, don’t worry, Hayes says Earth Day is every day.
On the 30th anniversary of Earth Day, Hayes still finds himself called to action for the same reasons he established Earth Day in the first place. “It became clear that although the country was experiencing unparalleled prosperity, the things we care about most deeply were falling apart,” Hayes says. Obviously, a strong economy does not equal a safe environment.
Hayes says there’s a lot each of us can do in our everyday lives to reduce the risk of climate change. For more about what you can do pick up Hayes’ new book, *The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair.* Proceeds fund the continued observance of Earth Day. But if you never get around to buying the book, Hayes says, “Most people know the right thing to do, environmentally, when asked. And if people would just stop and ask themselves what the right thing is, they know the answer.”
Footnotes
The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair by Denis Hayes
For more information, log on to https://www.earthday.org.
For more of Betsy Rosenberg’s Trash Talk, log on to http://www.trashtalk.org. Update: This website appears to have been removed or archived.
