Originally published on the CGS blog on April 22, 2010.
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
As GlobalSolutions.org, we naturally love the earth. Today, we are proud to join in celebrating the milestone 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Earth Day was first launched on April 22, 1970 as the brainchild of the late Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who was frustrated by Washington’s failure to adequately address environmental issues. A few months after the first Earth Day celebration, Congress had passed and President Nixon had signed the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created. Ever since the first Earth Day celebration, April 22nd has provided environmentalists with an opportunity to both celebrate the earth and to stress that despite environmental progress, much more still needs to be done to safeguard the health of the planet for future generations.
In the U.S. Senate, a new climate change bill is expected to be introduced early next week to coincide with Earth Day celebrations. This legislation, sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), is expected to place greenhouse gas emission limits on different sectors of the U.S. economy, and also to expand domestic production of oil and gas, as well as nuclear power. To learn more about climate change legislation, visit our website at http://www.globalsolutions.org/issues/climate-change.
Plans are afoot to celebrate Earth Day around the nation. Here in Washington, DC, a “Climate Rally” is scheduled to take place on the National Mall this Sunday, April 25th at noon, with participants urging Congress to “get serious about climate change.” If you are unable to make it to DC, there are plenty of other events taking place around the country. To learn about Earth Day events in your area, visit http://www.earthday.org/events/search/distance/21048.
