Earth Day synergy
In 1980, on the 10th anniversary of Earth Day, Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson recalled the "broad and deep support for the environmental movement" his inspiration revealed. The response stunned him.
After nearly four decades, discussions about a safer, cleaner and healthier planet are part of everyday conversations at work, home and houses of worship. Even the Seattle Mariners, in a first for MLB, are going carbon neutral for tonight's game against the Baltimore Orioles.The first Earth Day was followed by monumental legislation -- the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act -- but as action and leadership stalled at the federal level, it devolved to the states and localities, where most of the activity on greenhouse-gas emissions resides.
President George W. Bush took the United States out of most international discussions on climate change. His recent announcement of a new target date for stopping U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 2025 was largely ignored as too little, too late.
Earth Day 2008 is about the connections recognized and the choices made based on energy costs and recycling options. Nothing focuses the mind like $4-a-gallon gasoline, steep monthly energy bills and the links to food prices.