When the first Earth Day was celebrated 40 years ago today, there was no national awareness of the peril our environment faced, no Clean Air or Clean Water legislation, no EPA to enforce environmental laws. The first Earth Day originated with a group of 20-somethings in an office on P Street in Washington, DC, inspired by the late Sen. Gaylord Nelson (D-WI) who called for "teach-ins" on the environment a year earlier.
Still, with global warming deniers and their polluter patrons spreading doubt and misinformation, there is much ignorance and opposition to overcome. Perhaps on Earth Day's 50th anniversary, we'll have more to cheer about.
