Friday, April 22, 2022

Happy Earth Day!

It was 1970 when the first Earth Day was celebrated, hundreds of thousands of people all across North America drawing attention to the environmental issues of the day.  Many of them were students, and I was one of them.  I was in third year at that point, and ready to join the protests, though at Western in those days we kept it quite civil!

Inglis Falls, 
long one of my favourite little bits of nature around here.

Within a very few short years the first Endangered Species Acts were passed, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement was passed, and the Environmental Protection Agency was formed.  We began to get a handle on air and water pollution, as well as protecting rare species.  The Kent State Massacre by the U.S. National Guard seemed to make the protests justified.  

In those days climate change wasn't even an issue, but today it is undoubtedly the major environmental issue we face.  Take a few moments today and celebrate the small corner of nature that you love, and support political action on climate change when you get the opportunity.


14 comments:

  1. Thank you for the reminder. I haven't heard or seen anything about it on news feeds. Yet, it truly is staring in the face.

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  2. It is real, and even if every person did one little bit to save the environment, the whole world would be a better place eventually. Happy Earth Day to you both.

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  3. I don’t know how we would have gotten through the pandemic if we couldn’t get out to enjoy nature!

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  4. I was at the LCBO today and they were taking donations for Evergreen which I thought was a good sign that people are becoming more aware of the day.

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  5. I didn't realize Earth Day went back to 1970. We had a mostly sunny day here to celebrate.

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  6. Small steps have been made from time to time.

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  7. In 1970, I was at Western at Althouse College of Ed, which is only sort of Western. We lived in married student housing on campus.

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  8. I well remember the first Earth Day and all the good the public pressure did to get things changed, it seems there's a lot of apathy or resignation now.

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  9. Wonderful post and message. I felt so much more optimistic about the earth in 1970.

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  10. What beautiful water-falls.

    All the best Jan

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  11. I couldn't have told you when Earth Day began. Interesting post, FG.

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  12. In this increasingly mad world of ours we need many more Earth days and other days just like it to try and shake some common sense and decency into the masses.

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  13. Beautiful photo. I hope that enough change will be made before it is too late.

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