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> April 21 2000: Hour One: Earth Day | This week marks the thirtieth anniversary of the celebration of Earth Day. On this hour of Science Friday, we'll take a look back at the beginnings of the Earth Day movement, talk about the gains made by the environmental movement since then, and talk about some of the challenges still remaining. | 
NASA image | In 1970, Denis Hayes, a student in the Kennedy School at Harvard University, dropped out of school to work as the national coordinator for the first Earth Day -- and, thirty years later, he's still leading the festivities. The original Earth Day was designed as a sort of national teach-in on the environment, dreamed up by Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Now, Earth Day is celebrated in many nations around the world. Still largely an educational effort, the day has served as a means to push for such agendas as the passage of the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, awareness of potential global warming, and increased recycling. This year the organizers plan to focus specially on increasing awareness of clean energy sources such as solar power and wind power. Some activists, however, are complaining that the mainstream "environmental movement" has sold out. They say that instead of pressing for real reforms in such areas as vehicle emissions, too many groups are accepting lesser concessions made by industry or loose governmental regulations. A recently released Gallup Poll found that while four out of five Americans said that they were sympathetic to the goals of the environmental movement, most Americans do not view the environment as an urgent issue. As politicians, companies, and celebrities race to paint themselves green, does "environmentally aware" really mean much today? Join us for this hour of Science Friday for a discussion of the environmental movement and Earth Day past and present. Call in with your questions and comments - 1-800-989-8255. Guests:
Denis Hayes
Author, "The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair" (Island Press, 2000)
Chairman and CEO
Earth Day Network
President
Bullitt Foundation
Seattle, Washington Mark Hertsgaard
Author, "Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future" (Broadway Books, 2000)
Political Observer, NPR's Living On Earth
San Francisco, California Brian Staszenski
Executive Director
Tomorrow Foundation for a Sustainable Future
Founder
Destination Conservation
Edmonton, Alberta
Books/Articles Discussed: Related Links:
Earth Day Network
U.S. EPA Earth Day 2000
Time Magazine: Earthday 2000
Alliance to Save Energy This segment produced by:
Karin Vergoth
Web producer:
Charles Bergquist |