History Of Earth Day
By: Web Producer
Updated: April 22, 2008
History Of Earth Day
(Washington, DC) -- The modern environmental movement began in 1970 when Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, became concerned about pollution.
Denis Hayes was one of those involved in the very beginning, working with Senator Nelson and helping to organize a number of events around the nation with an estimated 25 million people taking part in 1970.
Some environmentalists say Earth Day was able to galvanize young college students across the country to unite and call for changes in public policy.
Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, and air pollution suddenly had a direction.
Since that first Earth Day in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was created, and legislation like the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts were passed into law.
(Copyright 2008 by Newsroom Solutions)
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