Earth Day
An Environmental Movement Since the 1970s
Gaylord Nelson was born in 1916. Nelson earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin. He served in the Pacific in World War II. After the War, he practiced law in Wisconsin.
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In 1948 Nelson became Senator of Dane County, Wisconsin. In 1958 he became governor. In his time as governor, he created programs to expand the state's parks.
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Nelson was elected U.S. Senate in 1962. In his 18 years of service, he continued his role as an environmentalist through piloting legislations such as the Wilderness Act, the Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act.
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After his service in the U.S. Senate, Senator Nelson served on the Wilderness Society board.
Senator Nelson is credited with the founding of Earth Day on April 22, 1970.
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Photo Credits: Image of Senator Gaylord Nelson
http://wilderness.org/bios/former-council-members/gaylord-nelson
Denis Hayes was born in 1944. Hayes was attending the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University when he was selected by Senator Gaylord Nelson to organize the first Earth Day.
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In 1990 Hayes founded the Earth Day Network. He is currently the board chairman for the International Earth Day Network.
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Hayes currently serves as the president of Bullitt Foundation--a environmental foundation committed "To safeguard the natural environment by promoting responsible human activities and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest."
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Photo Credits: Image of Denis Hayes
Pete McCloskey was born in 1927. He earned his law degree from Stanford University. McCloskey served in the Korean and Vietnam War and was a decorated military officer--recipient of a Navy Cross, Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts.
McCloskey served in the U.S. House of Representative from 1967-1983. During this time, he was recruited by Senator Nelson to co-chair the first Earth Day event on April 22, 1970.
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He ran for the office of President against Richard Nixon in 1972. McCloskey served in Congress for 15 years in which he co-authored the 1973 Endangered Species Act.
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Photo Credit: Image of Pete McCloskey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_McCloskey
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Information gathered from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/pete-mccloskey
Interesting Lesser-known People
John McConnell was born in 1915. In 1939 he and Albert Nobell founded the Nobell Research Lab and manufactured plastic. He became concerned with ecology when he realized the amount of pollutants produced through plastic manufacture factories.
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1969 National UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, Mr. McConnell proposed an Earth Day -- to celebrate Earth's life and beauty and to alert earthlings to the need for preserving and renewing the threatened ecological balances upon which all life on Earth depends.
John McConnell is a co-founder of Nobell Research Foundation, a research laboratory for environment-related issues.
McConnell impacted the naming of Senator Nelson’s “national teach-in on the environment” to the shortened form of Earth Day.
Photo Credit: Image of John McConnell
http://www.earthsite.org/john.htm
Ira Einhorn, self-proclaimed founder and launcher of Earth Day, hosted the first Earth Day event at Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on April 22, 1970.
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Little reference is made to Einhorn in current Earth Day media due to his arrest, evasion of authorities, and conviction of murder after 23 years on the lam. Einhorn was charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1977.
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency credits Senator Gaylord Nelson as the original founder and organizer of Earth Day 1970.
Photo Credits: Image of Einhorn as master of ceremonies by Michael J. Maicher, located at Temple University Libraries.
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