An Environmental Ethic: Has it Taken Hold? arth Da y n11d the creation Eof l·Y /\ i 11 1 ~l70 svrnbolized !he increasing ccrncl~rn of the nation about environmental vulues. i'\o\\'. 18 vears latur. has an cm:ironnrnntal ethic taken hold in our sot:iety'1 This issue of J\ P/\ Jounwl a<lclresscs that questi on and includes a special sc-~ct i un 0 11 n facet of the e11vironme11tal quality effort. l:nvi ron men ta I edur:alion. Thr~ issue begins with an urticln bv Pulitzer Prize-wi~rning journ;ilist and environmentalist J<obert C:;1hn proposing a definition of an e11viro11m<:nlal <~thic: in 1\merica. 1\ Joumol forum follows. with fin: prominnnt e11viro1rnw11tal olJsefl'ers C1n swt:ring tlw question: lws the nthi c: tukn11 hold? l·: P1\ l\dministrnlur I.cc :VI. Tlwm;1s discusses wht:lhcr On Staten Island, Fresh Kills Landfill-the world's largest garbage dump-receives waste from all h;ivc /\1ll(:ric:an incl ivi duals five of New York City's boro ughs. Here a crane unloads waste from barges and loads it onto goll!:11 sc:rious about trucks for distribution elsewhere around the dump site. W illiam C. Franz photo, Staten Island Register. environnwntal prott:c.tion 11s a prn c. ti c:al m.ittc:r in thuir own li v1:s, and a subsnqucmt llroaclening the isst1e's this country up to the River in the nu tion's capital. article ;111alyws the find ings pt:rspective, Cro Hnrlem present: u box provides u On another environnwntal of rl!u:nt public opinion Brundtland. the Prime summary report on issue, the Journol notes that polls. Minister of Norwav and ;1 educut ional uctivities in the EPJ\ recently proposed new 1 ex t ;iru t\\'o ;11·ti clc:s world unvironrnen-tal leaclt: r. stules. The ro le of standards for the protection through tlw looking gla ss expl ains thn imperntive for <1 environmental ed ucation in of ngr icu llural workers from si 11 ct: l·:arlh IJ;1y. one liy globul er1viro11m e11tal ethic:. the future is the subject of un pesticide exposure. In a fornH:r· JJ1:1noc:rnti c: St:11itlor 1\n editorial bv the editor of article by educutors john point/counterpoi nt feuture Caylord Nu lso11, who thu /ounwl. Ju.lrn Heritage. Paulk und Lyn n Hodg ' S. that follows, two 1'01111dcd !·:11rth Du v. ;1 11cl 0111: fu ll ovvs. Two teachers. Delva observers- Claudia Fuquily of hv John C:. \Vhitilk<:r, whD Next u1 1 "e11v iro1111w nta l Peterson of Guthrie Center. the United Fresh Fruit and \\; ilS ;111 l!l l\' iro111111!11tal st<1ffor li!erac:v test" is offered to Iowa, and Melvin Marcus of Vegetable !\ssocia tion and in Prns icl()11! '.\:ixon's \\' hi!f: ussist ;.caders in cvaluilling Brooklvn, New Yo rk. Or. Mnrion Moses. a 11 ()LI SC). tlrnir own c1w iro11mc:nlal describe the school projects physician who is act ivel y '1\-v u arti c: lus aliot1t i11clt1 stry a\\'areness. thev di rected thut won involved in farm safety u11d the c: 11viro11me11!al t:thic: J\ spt~t:iill section is Pres ident's Environmental issues--cornmcnt from follow. 'J'lw first is Ii:-' Kt!ll l included on environnwntul Youth /\wards. Then writ er different vantage points 011 Cillm:alh, an !!clur:alor and c~d u cal ion. a subject ll'hi c: h John Falk explores th e the adequacy of EP/\'s mu111lwr of lhu Da li<1s Fucl1:rnl received ;1 boost in national question, are children g !ting proposal. l~ 1:scrv 1 : ll ;111k Board. priority from the publi c: an environmental protection This Jou rno/ concludes disc11 ssi 11g i11dt1str\•s concern which flowered in messuge outside the \•Vi th a regular feature, 1:11\·i ro11m1:11ti1l u ltitu clc~s the eurh· t ~J70s. I 11 the first classroorn'1 /\ppoi ntments. and a report genrmill.1-. Tim second is by article, jac:k Lell'is. who Concluding this issue's on the EPA winners of the \V .R.0. 1\itk1:11 , Exm:uli\'I: writes for the Journol. !races coverngc of environmental 1988 Presidential Rn1 1k \lice l'rnsi cl()11t of tlw the evolution of ethics and educution is an service awards. o 111tt~ rnatio11<1l Nickel Co. (!11co c:nviro11me11lal education in Environmental Almanac l.i1nill:d) , explaining hi s fea ture with author and c:o111pn11 _1's 1:11,·iro11nw11tal bird-vvatcher Lola Obermun t:xpcrit:nu: llllcl 1·ic:ws. reporting on the return of waterfowl to th e Potomuc United States Office of Volume 14 Environmental Protection Public Affa irs (A-107) umber 6 Agency Washington DC 20460 July· August &EPA JOURNAL Lee M. Thomas, Administrator Jennifer f oy Wilson, Assistant Administrator fo r External Affairs R.A. Edwards, Acting Director, Office of Public Affairs John Heritage, Editor Ruth Barker, Assistant Editor Karen Flagstad, Assistant Editor Jack Lewis, Assistant Ed itor Marilyn Rogers, Circulation Manager EPA is charged by Co ngress to What Is an Environmental Industry's Environmental What They're Learning: protect the nation's land. air. and Ethic? Altitudes Guthrie Center, Iowa wat er systems. Under <J mandate of by Robert Cairn 2 by Kent Gilbreath 18 nationa1 en\' ironmental la\\'s. the by Bel \'a Peterson 38 agency strives to formul ate and im plement acti ons which lead to a Has the Ethic Taken Hold? A View From Inco What They're Learning: compat ible balance bet\l'een A Forum 5 by\\'. R. 0. Aitken 21 Brooklvn. New York human actil'ilies and the abilitv of by \lei\·i n \lurcus 39 natural sy ·tern s to support and' Speaking Frankly Seeking A Global Ethic nurture li fe. The EPA Journoi is published by by Lee M. Thomas 8 by Gro Harl em Is It Cool To Worry? the U.S. En vironmental Protecti on Brundtland 23 by john Falk -fl Agency. The 1\dmini strator of EPA Environmental Polls: What has determined that the They Tell Us An Editorial Environmental Almanac: publication of this peri odical is by Frederick W. Allen and by john Heritage 25 necessan· in the transaction of the Good News On The Potomac public h[1si ness required by law of Roy Popkin 10 by Lola Oberman -U this agetlC)'. Use of funds for An Environmental Literacy printing this periodi cal has been Earth Day Recollections: Test 28 On Another Subject: oippro\·ed b1· the Directo r of the Where We Were And Where Agricultural Workers and Offi ce of i\ln nagement and lludget. We Are Pesticides .J-1 \'ie\\'s cx,iressed by authors do not Environmental Education: nccessari y refl ect EP1\ poli cy. by Gaylord lelson 12 Past and Present Contri but io ns and inquiries should by jac k Le\\'is :rn Appointments .J7 be addressed to thl' Editor (1\ -1 07). Earth Day Recollections: \Vatersid n i\lall. 401 M St .. S.\\'.. What It Was Like When The Environmental Educalion: The Presidential Awards .J8 \\'as hington. DC 204110 . :'-:o permi ssion necessarv to reprod uce Movement Took Off The Future contents except copnightcd photos by john C. Whitaker J.l by John Paulk and L .\ ' 1111 and other materials. Hodges :Iii Front Cover: Earth Day. 1970. sym­ t\nnounc e1111:11t s: Correctio n: The l)()ck co1·er· bol of a nat ional environrnentcd Beginning 11·i rl1 th e ne.>;I issue. EPA photograph in th e lost issue of owakening. A scene in i\'e1v York journal 11'i ll Im p11 blished EP1\ Journal 11'as in rnrrec:tl.1· city is pictured in this photo by bim on thlv. or six timrs n .1·cm'. idenlifird to th e magazine stoff b1· /oson Loure. Woodfin Comp. In c. ct pJ10.to rent ed house os bPi ng on · The nex t issue of EPt\ journal 11·i ll aeriol picture of Co µe .\lo_\'. .\'.]. In be on enl'ironmentol priorities .fur fact the photo is of o neorby the na ti on os seen br different section of shoreline. The Ed itor obse1Ters. ond the photo house. Woodfin Comp, In c .. regret the error. EPA Journal Subscriptions The annual rnt c for subscribers in the U.S. fo r the [::PA /ournol is $ 11 .00. The charge to subscri bers PLEASE PRINT in foreign countries is $ '13 .75 a year. The pri ce of a single copy of the EPA Journal is S1.75 in thi s country and $2. t9 if sent ton Company Nam e or Addi tional Address L111e fo reign country. Prices include mail costs. Subscri/itions to the EPA Journal as we I as to oth er federal r"OVernment 111 agazin es are I Street Address handlec onlv bl' the U.S . Government-Printing Office. I I I I Anyone wi shing to subscri be to the Zip Code EPA /ournol shoul d fill in th e form I at right and enclose i1 check or money order pa yabl e to the I I Superintendent of Document s. The requests should be muiled tu: D Payment enclosed !Make checks payable to Supenntendent of Documents) ' uperinlendent of Documents. Gl'O. \\1;1shi ngton. DC 20402. D Charge to my De posit Account No . What is an Environmental Ethic? by Robert Cahn Pilgrims to Yellowstone Park, established in 1871 as the first U.S.