Exploring The Last Green Valley: Earth Day continues to grow, change.
His goal was to infuse the emerging public awareness about air and water pollution into a national movement with the idea of a nationwide “teach-in” on the environment.
The stage had been set for Earth Day during the 1960s as the public gradually awakened to environmental issues, including the 1962 publication of Rachael Carson’s bestseller “Silent Spring.” For many people, that book represented a watershed moment and clarion call for living organisms and the links between public health and pollution.
It is estimated that on April 22, 1970, up to 20 million participated in some way during the first Earth Day.
Twenty years later Earth Day went global, mobilizing upwards of 200 million people in hundreds of countries and elevating environmental issues throughout the world.
Ten years later, at the start of a new millennium, a new campaign took shape with a focus on climate change, global warming and clean energy.
Earth Day 2017 brings yet another set of challenges to the fight for a clean and healthy environment.
Next Saturday will find me miles away from my home in The Last Green Valley.
I will be visiting my daughter and grandchildren at their home in Maine.
But we hope to stop in Portland for a March for Science rally and program.