Editorial: Earth Day still worth observing

Published 8:23 pm Monday, April 17, 2017

When Earth Day was first proclaimed on April 22, 1970, there was a lot of serious talk filled with doomsday predictions of pollution, overcrowding, massive starvation, a new Ice Age or planet warming.

Nearly 50 years later, those discussions have receded somewhat (except planet warming) because environmental pollution in this country is less severe. And much of that reduction is due to the efforts born out of the Earth Day observance, which this year is on Saturday.

Younger generations don’t remember a time in the late 1960s when air pollution, or smog, blanketed our major cities, particularly New York and Los Angeles. Closer to home, one couldn’t clearly see downtown Chattanooga while driving over MIssionary Ridge because the city lay under a hazy cloud.

Breathing cleaner air is due to many factors, one being that gasoline-powered cars are more fuel-efficient and the use of fossil fuels has decreased.

Other environmental improvements that have developed during the past decades include that we recycle more, rivers are cleaner, and some endangered animal species, like our national symbol, the bald eagle, are no longer on the brink of extinction.

How did this happen? People started to demand it. Riding that wave, politicians echoed the call to do something, and President Richard M. Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970. That same year saw the Clean Air Act, with the Clean Water Act following in 1972 and the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

But problems still exist, both here and around the globe where developing nations are choking in pollution.

So where does that leave Earth Day 2017?

It’s a time to remind ourselves that we’ve had big successes and to continue a sense of purpose and resolve. It’s a time to be mindful about the environment (just don’t litter) and show political and business leaders how much we care.

And to help bring this about locally, there are two Earth Day observances coming up this weekend in Dalton.

During the Dixie Highway Celebration Festival on Saturday, Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful will have a booth in Peacock Alley in downtown Dalton for visitors to learn more about litter prevention, pick up free cleanup supplies (like trash bags and litter bags for vehicles) and learn how to conduct your own neighborhood or park cleanup for Earth Day. That booth is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to noon.

On Sunday, which is Ecumenical Earth Day, you are invited to the 21st annual observance in Dalton, which will be from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 623 S. Thornton Ave. in Dalton. Those attending will learn about recycling, litter prevention, weather preparedness, birds, bats and more.

And promoters say there will be a lot of animals this year, including lambs, alpacas and goats.

Ecumenical Earth Day is supported by community agencies, local churches and Thrivent Action Teams. Keep Dalton-Whitfield Beautiful also will have a booth there.

These two events let us take part in activities that will benefit our environment. We all could benefit from learning how to be a good steward of the environment, even if it’s only in our backyard. After all, we’ve only got one Earth to last us for a while.