Saturday was a very special holiday, and I would like to be the first to wish my fellow Terrapins a happy Earth Day! Unfortunately, most people know very little about the concept and purpose of Earth Day. I am willing to bet the bulk of what people know comes from a 15-second news spoof on The Daily Show or from passing the “hippies” on Hornbake Plaza on our campus’s celebration of the day Thursday. But the international holiday actually has a purpose and history that extends almost 40 years into our past.
Earth Day was originally created by Fred Dutton and John McConnell in 1969 to celebrate the spring equinox and the changing of the seasons. In 1970, Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson created a newer interpretation of Earth Day: He wanted to raise awareness of and appreciation for the Earth’s fragile balance. That year, Nelson staffed his senatorial office in Washington with college students and environmental activists to coordinate a national celebration of the Earth on April 22. Tens of thousands of people flocked to Washington to celebrate.
Although Earth Day’s popularity has dwindled in recent years, Earth Day thrived during the 1970s and influenced many citizens to endorse environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy and Greenpeace. In fact, celebration of the Earth’s resources was so popular, the most prevalent books at the time focused on environmentalism, including E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and John Muir’s Nature Writings.
The most popular book, however, was Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, which also happens to be my personal favorite. For those of you who have never read the book, The Lorax is a story about a small, gangly creature whose sole purpose is to protect the “Truffula Trees” in the beautiful land where the “Grickle-grass grows.” Unfortunately, the Lorax is in opposition to the story’s narrator, who has come upon the Truffula forest in the hopes of exploiting its resources. In the end, the Lorax is forced to leave what remains of his destroyed habitat – raising his eye to see all that is left is “smoggily-smog,” a “pile of rocks” and a message to “plant a new Truffula Tree and treat it with care.”
What’s the take-home message? Here it is: Earth Day was created to raise awareness and to educate the public on environmental issues to prevent a situation similar to the Lorax’s. I have heard many people argue that environmental ruination is a long time coming, and there is no need for concern. With this, I disagree. Whether a resource Armageddon is fast approaching is not the point; our Earth’s resources are finite and should be treated accordingly.
For that reason alone, I think there is a great deal of truth within Dr. Seuss’ fictional story: The Earth is precariously balanced and provides us with so many things that we should act as stewards and conserve its resources to protect that balance.
With all that said, I hope you all observed Earth Day and use it as a springboard to become environmental stewards and conservationists like the lone Lorax. Have a happy and resourceful Earth Day every day!
Sarah Waterworth is a senior environmental science and policy major. She can be reached at slwater@wam.umd.edu.
