*Flashback Friday*

*This post commemorating Earth Day originally appeared on The PediaBlog on April 22, 2021.

 

Happy Earth Day 2021!

 

 

Happy Earth Day!

52 years after its first observance, Peter Dykstra takes us down memory lane:

An American invention largely credited to U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and student activist Denis Hayes, Earth Day’s 1970 debut drew millions of people to rallies and events in big cities and small towns; grade schools, and college campuses.

After its grand 1970 debut, Earth Day became a decidedly more mundane event until 1990. Several years of telegenic eco-disasters—the horrific chemical release in Bhopal, India; the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown; the Exxon Valdez oil spill; and more – re-ignited public passions.

Hopefulness? By this time, I had hoped over 52 Earth Days that we had accomplished a little bit more.

 

In 52 years Earth Day went from highlighting “righteous civil disobedience and social justice activism,” says Emily Atkin, to today becoming “an annual celebration of reusable diapers and tree-plantings.” Atkin articulates the actual spirit of Earth Day:

Earth Day wasn’t supposed to be a corny celebration of green living. Founded in 1970, amid rising awareness of industry’s unchecked pollution of the air and water, its organizers aimed to apply the lessons of civil-right activism to the environmental movement. “The original founders of Earth Day literally borrowed pages from the then-happening civil rights movement to engage in righteous civil disobedience, righteous group mass action, to have humanity look at environmental degradation and the degradation of lives of individuals,” Mair said.

 

Devneet Kaur Kainth adds more historical context in PSR PA’s Earth Day Newsletter*:

On the first Earth Day, founder Gaylord Nelson proclaimed in his speech, “Earth Day can — and it must — lend a new urgency and a new support to solving the problems that still threaten to tear the fabric of this society… the problems of race, of war, of poverty, of modern-day institutions. Our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty. The objective is an environment of decency, quality and mutual respect for all other human beings and all other living creatures.” This message rings true to this day.

Through COVID-19, we have been reminded that humans live as a collective; that each of our small actions have an enormous impact on the world and on each other.

 

After experiencing the miracle of creating another human being, it’s easy to understand why parents are anxious about the health of the environment inasmuch as it impacts the physical and mental health and well-being of their children. Air pollution; contaminated water; ocean acidification and the loss of aquatic species and the Great Barrier Reef; plastic pollution, endocrine disruption, and low sperm counts; rapidly diminishing biologic diversity; climate change. Take your pick, there are enough environmental crises imperiling public health to go around, and all are connected to the climate crisis.

What can we do? What can I do?

First of all, it’s important to recognize that the solutions to the global climate crisis are exactly the same as the solutions to improve local, regional, and global burdens of pollution. On this Earth Day, we’ll need to agree on these five guiding principles if we are to eventually solve these problems:

1. Reduce and then eliminate fossil fuel extraction and consumption ASAP

2. Electrify everything with clean, renewable energy

3. Replace plastic with new materials

4. Reuse and Recycle

5. Conserve more and consume less

 

Being engaged and involved isn’t asking a lot, it seems to me. Being mindful of the energy, the materials, and the food and water we and our families consume isn’t either.

Make every day Earth Day and renew and preserve the connection we have to the natural world. Go outside, have a look around, and then:

• Help protect grasslands, wetlands, and forests; respect wildlife.

• Plant trees!

• Help vulnerable family members, friends, and neighbors adapt to changing conditions. Look out for them during heat waves and cold snaps. Provide early warning alerts for bad weather and air quality forecasts (www.weather.gov, www.airnow.gov). Make sure they are stocked up on food, water, and medicines, and that they have access to medical care when they need it.

• Keep learning!

• Talk to and then educate others.

• Call, write to, and meet with lawmakers.

• Insist on sensible environmental protections.

• Demand policies based on evidence.

• Consider supporting an environmental or public health advocacy organization.*

• Vote!

 

The New York Times published this week a beautifully illustrated interactive “guide for kids, and everyone else, about climate change — and what we can do about it.” It is best suited for kids 10 and older, their parents, grandparents, and other adults who want to make a better future for everyone. Read it here.

Read previous years’ Earth Day posts on The PediaBlog here.

 

*Dr. Ketyer is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change and President of Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania.

 

(Google Images)

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/04/21/flashback-friday-255/