April 22, 2009
Happy Earth Day!
Three days ago, I left Minnesota. There was still ice on Lake Superior. Today, I'm in Boulder, Colorado. Tomorrow Hawaii. The world is a huge vast place.
Along the way I passed through northern boreal and mixed hardwood forests, short grass and tall grass prairie, temperate grasslands, savanna and shrub lands and now the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Soon the tropics. Traveling across this amazing planet of ours, it is almost impossible not to marvel and the diversity that exists here.
Fitting thoughts for today, Earth Day.
Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, first proposed the nationwide environmental protest in 1970 "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. " "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked." Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.
Today, Earth Day symbolizes an everlasting commitment to help preserve the integrity of our environment for future generations.
My wish for you on this day: Do one thing to help the environment. If you feel inclined. Do one more thing. You've heard the list to before. Choose something. Then, go outside. Watch the sunset. Go for a walk. Have a picnic. Take a deep breathe of air. This is your world, your home. But be careful out there Earth is a delicate and fragile place. And there are many more adventures to be had here.
Along the way I passed through northern boreal and mixed hardwood forests, short grass and tall grass prairie, temperate grasslands, savanna and shrub lands and now the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Soon the tropics. Traveling across this amazing planet of ours, it is almost impossible not to marvel and the diversity that exists here.
Fitting thoughts for today, Earth Day.
Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, first proposed the nationwide environmental protest in 1970 "to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. " "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked." Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.
Today, Earth Day symbolizes an everlasting commitment to help preserve the integrity of our environment for future generations.
My wish for you on this day: Do one thing to help the environment. If you feel inclined. Do one more thing. You've heard the list to before. Choose something. Then, go outside. Watch the sunset. Go for a walk. Have a picnic. Take a deep breathe of air. This is your world, your home. But be careful out there Earth is a delicate and fragile place. And there are many more adventures to be had here.