We’re surrounded every day by competing ideologies, different cultures, ideas and values. And it’s these differences, among many others, that set us apart as individuals and communities. But there is one thing on which we can all agree: none of us could experience those things that make us different if it wasn’t for the one thing that makes us all the same. Aside from our basic humanity, that one common denominator uniting us all is the necessity for an environment that nurtures and supports life on this small blue planet.
It has become increasingly clear over the decades that we need to be doing a better job of being its custodian. That concept entered the national conscience in the early ‘60’s with the publication of Rachael Carson’s Silent Spring, when we became aware of the horrendous unintended consequences of DDT and other pesticides. Then there was the most famous man-made disaster of that decade. The Cuyahoga River, running through industrial Ohio cities and serving as a dumping ground for hazardous wastes, actually caught fire.
It was during this time that Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson first proposed making environmental protection a national priority. Although he had little support in Congress, he found that small groups working on local issues and providing ‘teach-ins’ could make a difference and help push issues like pollution, deforestation and conservation into the national debate. Nelson, on his own, took out a full page ad in the New York Times proclaiming April 22, 1970 as Earth Day to be celebrated by grassroots demonstrations in small towns and big cities throughout the nation. The results were stunning; an estimated 20 million people took part in events all over the country. In the months that followed, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and dozens of other landmark pieces of legislation were passed. In 1990 Earth Day went global and the world embraced it with the same enthusiasm as America did in the 70’s.
Forty-five years have passed since the first Earth Day. The concerns, however, remain omnipresent. Record droughts and famines, forest fires, glacial melting, catastrophic storms, water and air pollution, rising sea levels and so much more plague the planet. On the plus side, more people understand the impact of CO2 on our atmosphere and are supporting and using renewable resources. ‘Recycle, reuse, repurpose’ has become a mantra for many households. More people than ever are aware of the fragility of this place we call home and are engaging in individual and group actions to stop new assaults and to mitigate the damage we’ve already caused.
If nothing else, Earth Day should give us pause. This planet provides all we need for humans to thrive but we have to acknowledge that this is a symbiotic relationship; it is this mutual interdependence that represents the very essence required for our survival.
Join the Villages Environmental Club at Sumter Landing at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 22 to celebrate Earth Day, 2015 and learn what you can do to help. Without a healthy and vibrant planet, every living thing is threatened. So regardless of the many differences that set us apart, when it comes to Planet Earth, it’s unanimous … we really are all in this together.
Marsha Shearer is a Villager and member of the Villages Environmental Club.