On this Earth Day, Do something REAL
Each year, Earth Day is globally celebrated on the 22 April, and the Earth Day Network dedicates the day towards a particular cause that can significantly improve the status quo on Climate Change.
How did Earth Day come about? What events lead up to this monumental movement and how can we contribute?
History
It was January 28th, 1969. A massive gas and oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, courtesy of Union Oil, a petroleum company in California, had erupted. Spewing over 3 million gallons of crude oil, and killing over 10 000 seabirds, sea lions, dolphins, seal and other marine life, this disaster spawned a new age of environmental activism. Until then, the United States had ignored their global footprint. The unfortunate tragedy spurred environmental regulation, education, grassroots movements like Get Oil Out, and Earth Day into existence.
The Santa Barbara Blowout was the largest in U.S. history at that time. Images of dead or dying marine wildlife floated across newspaper and magazines across the globe. While activists had always been trying to promote a cleaner earth for all , this disaster impacted humanity as a whole, “How do we continue using earth’s resources while maintaining the balance in a fragile ecosystem?”
More questions than answers popped up surrounding the oil spill, and this prompted U.S. Wisconsin Senator, Gaylord Nelson, to take environmental activism into the political space. Nelson understood that Americans were slowly waking up to their impact on the world around them, and he could utilize this public support to create a movement that would push for environmental awareness, education and others. Nelson, together with Republican Congressman, Pete McCloskey and Harvard University’s Denis Hayes coordinated the first ever Earth Day rally.
Demonstration
On the 22 April, 1970, over 20 million Americans marched in unison to protest the destruction of the environment. People from all walks of life stood united for a common cause, a goal Nelson recalls as, “a gamble, but it worked.”
This movement, in turn, brought about the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and various acts that were created to protect the air, water and endangered species.
Earth Day went global in 1990 with events spanning 141 nations, and mobilizing 200 million people.
The Wrong Mindset
Fred Hartley, President of Union Oil, was quoted,
“I am always tremendously impressed at the publicity that the death of birds receives versus the loss of people in our country in this day and age. When I think of the folks that gave up their lives when they came down into the ocean off Los Angeles [in a plane crash] some three weeks ago — and the fact that our society forgets that within a 24-hour period — I think relative to that, the fact that we have had no loss of life from this incident is important.”
NewEra points out that misdirection, doublespeak and feigned concern by Hartley did not, and should not detract from the situation. With each spill or other environmental hazards, the environment is hit with a sledgehammer, one that has been hammering away since the age of the Industrial Revolution. The human race cannot exist without an abundant wildlife and ecology. Hartley’s callous mentality is similar to current U.S. President, Donald Trump — that wealth and power will somehow exclude them from all manner of natural disasters. What they fail to realize is that as we continue chipping away at these important natural foundations, the ‘house’ will eventually topple.
When all the trees have been cut down,
when all the animals have been hunted,
when all the waters are polluted,
when all the air is unsafe to breathe,
only then will you discover you cannot eat money.
— Cree Prophecy
The Challenge
Ocean Pollution kills over 100 million marine mammals every year!
This year, the Earth Day Network have decided to focus on reducing plastic waste. They have issued a global challenge, asking the world’s citizens to calculate their plastic usage, and pledge overall reduction.
Everything Counts
Whether we decide to take part in the plastic challenge, implement Meatless Mondays or use NERAWatt, we must realize that our collective actions, positive and negative, count. Earth Day is the “largest secular observance” on the planet, with over a billion participants. Though these numbers are impressive, the tragic birth of Earth Day is something we should never forget. History will keep repeating itself until we decide enough is enough.
NewEra looks forward to hearing from community members. Tweet us your Earth Day pledge!
