". . . on April 22, 1970, Earth Day was held, one of the most
remarkable happenings in the history of democracy. . . "
-American Heritage Magazine, October 1993
What was the purpose of Earth Day? How did it start? These are the questions I am most frequently asked.
Actually, the idea for Earth Day evolved over a period of seven years
starting in 1962. For several years, it had been troubling me that the
state of our environment was simply a non-issue in the politics of the
country. Finally, in November 1962, an idea occurred to me that was, I
thought, a virtual cinch to put the environment into the political
"limelight" once and for all. The idea was to persuade President
Kennedy to give visibility to this issue by going on a national
conservation tour. I flew to Washington to discuss the proposal with
Attorney General Robert Kennedy, who liked the idea. So did the
President. The President began his five-day, eleven-state conservation
tour in September 1963. For many reasons the tour did not succeed in
putting the issue onto the national political agenda. However, it was
the germ of the idea that ultimately flowered into Earth Day.
Last update: 10-08-2010 20:47
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