Today is Earth Day.* On April 22, 1970 the US government formed the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air, the Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts.
It’s the birthday of Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant (books by this author), born in Königsberg, Prussia in 1724. He is famous for his single moral obligation, the “Categorical Imperative”: namely, that we should judge our actions by whether or not we would want everyone else to act the same way.
He wrote, “Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe […] the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
*It was first observed in 1970, but its roots go back to the 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s (books by this author) landmark book, Silent Spring, exposing the effects of pesticides and other chemical pollution on the environment.
During the late 1960s, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson had the idea to harness the energy and methods of the student protests against the Vietnam War to organize a grassroots conservation movement. At a press conference in 1969, he announced plans for a nationwide demonstration, to take place the following spring. Twenty million people nationwide participated in the first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, and the government finally took notice, forming the Environmental Protection Agency and passing the Clean Air, the Clean Water, and the Endangered Species Acts.
In 1990, on the 20th anniversary, organizer Denis Hayes took Earth Day to the international arena, and coordinated events in 141 countries worldwide, boosting the awareness and practice of recycling. The year 2000 marked the first time the event was coordinated on the Internet, and the message was the need for clean energy to counteract climate change.
According to the Earth Day Network, Earth Day is celebrated by a billion people, making it the world’s largest secular holiday. 4.22.20
No comments:
Post a Comment