By Greg Layton
Many recall a straightforward narrative about the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, but more detail teaches a powerful lesson.
The popular story tells us that the Cuyahoga River, thick with industrial chemicals, caught fire in 1969; Time Magazine carried the image to millions, and Americans responded by creating Earth Day, the Clean Air Act, and the Environmental Protection Agency within the next year – and the Clean Water Act two years later.
What’s missing from that version is that the June 22, 1969, Cuyahoga fire was not the first time flames covered the river’s surface. It was at least the 10th.
The 1969 fire was considered so routine that no one seems to have taken a photo of it. Time Magazine’s famous pictures of a burning Cuyahoga were taken of a similar fire in 1952, and local newspaper accounts merely noted damage to property, not human or environmental health.
In other words, Americans had become so accustomed to ecological degradation that few noticed, and then only in the context of what it cost them directly. Meanwhile, things had gotten worse.
The lesson here is that we, committed environmentalists, must remain vigilant. We must notice conditions around us and track how they change. We must continuously call attention to threats and engage policymakers and the public in enacting solutions.
We do that through the Sierra Club Delaware Chapter, and you can help.
If you’re not yet actively involved or would like to get more involved, please take a moment to fill out our volunteer survey here and share with us how you would like to be involved. We’ll find ways to use our interests and talents to create a healthier First State.
You can get started by clicking the link here to tell Delaware legislators to protect renewable energy, require accountability and transparency from utilities, and maintain energy programs that benefit low and moderate-income Delawareans.