04-22-1970 First Earth Day
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Environmental Engineering General Engineering, Engineering Science Green Design and Sustainable Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Community - Blog |
| Media Type: |
WWW |
| Author(s): |
Alice Agogino |
| Description: | Engineering Pathway's "Today in History" blog for April 22. "Today in History" April 22, 1970, the First Earth Day. Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, says that the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years starting in 1962. He wanted President Kennedy to give visibility to pollution and the environmental degradation that was appearing throughout the country, but was going unnoticed by the political establishment. The anti-Vietnam War demonstrations called 'teach-ins' were popular on college campuses and he decided to organize a huge grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment, tapping into both the energy of the student anti-war movement and the environmental cause. A Sunday, November 30, 1969, New York Times article by Gladwin Hill forecast that this was going to be a massive event: "Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam'a national day of observance of environmental problems" is being planned for next spring - with a nationwide environmental "teach-in". Senator Gaylord Nelson explains that Earth Day worked "because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. We had neither the time nor resources to organize 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities that participated." Images: Today with global warming and another energy crises, sustainability is a top international concern and an estimated 1 billion people will do something to observe the anniversary of the first Earth Day. People will participate in marches and protests, family and community activities, clean-up days, tree-planting events, saving water, saving energy, nature walks, and sustainability events." Child wearing earth day costume; Photos of green gadgets for Earth Day |
| Rating: |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | Earth Day Green Design |
| Is Component of: |
"Today in History" Blog of the Engineering Pathway Digital Library |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
(h) Understand global, economic, environmental, and societal context |
| Use of Resource: |
Events in history can be used to connect technology to important historical events. |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Interactivity Level: |
Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | April 2009 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.k-grayengineeringeducation.com/blog/index.php/2012/04/ |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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