EARTH DAY 1 9 9 0 TWENTY YEARS OF EARTH DAY '' By Denis Hayes

a world that was peaceful, just, sence from my legal practice to movement is of much more re­ passed theClean Air and Water growth forests. turn a blind eye. cent origin. Individuals such as wenty years ago, Denis Godward, Castro, Huddleson& and ecologically sustainable. coordinate the Earth Day 1990 Acts, the Resource Conservation Yet, despite these accomplish· However) no one's holding a Rachel Carson and David Brower Hayes dropped out of Har• Tatum, where he was a senior That was twentyyears ago. To­ campaign. and Recovery Act, theFederal In­ ments, we are in serious trouble, gun to our heads as we merrily T soundedthe environmental alarm vard Law School to stage associate, to spearheadthe Earth day, the angry young women and At this time last year, Earth secticide,Fungicide, and Roden· and theproblems are compound­ drive ourse1ves into the green­ in the 1960s, and events such as the largest demonstration Day 1990• Coalition.• • men of Earth Day who poured Day 1990 was nothingmore than ticide Act, the Comprehensive ing with every passing year. house age, deluding ourselves the SantaBarbara oil spill of 1969 Environmental Response Com­ There is no evidence that our in history. It was called Earth For many of my generation, sewage on corporatecarpets and a concept. Now) it is an over­ with nuclearpower scenarios that Day, and its phenomenalsuccess involvement with serious is­ pounded polluting automobiles burdened staffof thirty in Palo and the Storm King battle in pensationand Liability Act, and leaders have the intelligence, the exchange one set of problems for launched the modern environ­ sues-adult issues-began with apart with sledgehammers are Alto,California; a nationalboard New York gave rise tolocal waves a host of other laws that funda­ integrity, and the guts to lead us another, including the quick pro· mental movement. Almost two some form of unconventional now middle-aged and still no of clirectors well over120 in mnn• of concerned activists, but a mentally changed the rules under into a new era. The leadership liferation of weapons-grade ura­ decades and thousands of envi­ politics:passive disobedienceand closer to their utopian vision. If ber (including John A. Hoyt of full-blown national movement which. American enterprise op­ has to come from us. nium into dozens of countries. ronmental criseslater, Mr. Hayes freedomrides in support of civil anything, perhaps, they are fur­ The HSUS) with representatives emerged only in 1970. erates. In 1970, the goal of Earth Day, Nothing short of a society-wide wasat work to commemomte the rights; the endless town meetings ther away. from every sector ofAmerican Following the original Earth Whenever government agen­ as articulated eloquently by then commitment is needed to turn twentieth anniversary of Earth of Vietnamsummer; wearinggas Twenty years afterEarth Day, society; a luminous international Day�April22, 1970----theAmer· cies or corporations attemptedto SenatorGaylord Nelson, thetrue our backs on the"disposable so· Day, April 22, 1'l70, with a mas­ masks down Fifth Avenue on those of us who set out tochange boardof sponsors spanning every ican conservation movement ex­ flaunt these new laws, environ­ "father" of Earth Day, was to ciety" and toward the vision of a sive international event in 1990 EarthDay; picketing a stateleg· the world are poised on the continent; and a field organiza­ plodedin size and broadened its mental groups would haul them demonstrate to corporations, societythat lives in harmony with that will propel the environmentnl islature in support of the Equal threshold of utter failure. Mea· tion with hundredsof grass-roots agenda to encompass emerging into court. The movement's ta.1- politicians, and our sornnambu­ the environment. The twentieth movement into a new decade of Rights Amendment; breaching sured on virtually any scale, the coordinators spread across the ecologicalissues suchas industrial en1ed,idealistic lawyers have won lant neighbors that nobody is im• anniversary of Earth Day is an activism and on intothe twenty­ the exclusion w·ne around Sea­ world is in worse shape than it country.In little more than a year, pollution, urban air- and water­ hundreds of precedent-setting mune to the threats posed by en· auspicious timeto signal coqx>ra­ 1 first century. brook or Diablo Canypn; block· was twenty years ago. Earth Day 1990 has gone from quality problems, and solid waste decisions. vironmental pol1ution and no one tions, politicians, and ourselves On the heels of Earth Day ing a train carrying fissionable the drawing board to a huge, disposal. When litigation proved to be can avoid culpability. Twenty that such a profound shift is 1'l70, Mr. Hayes founded Envi· material tothe RockyFlats bomb Lessons Learned global coalition determined to Flushed with its new-found too slow or ineffective, the en­ yearslater, some of the symptoms needed. The alternative is catas­ chiefronmental Action and became the factory in Colorado. Recognizingthis, more than a turnthe tidein thebattle to pull strength, the environmental vironmental movement's guerril­ have changed, but the problem trophe. lobbyist on the Clean Air We were impatient and ideal­ yearand a half ago, I wrote an ar· theplanet back fromthe brink of movement won a string of spec­ las put their bodies on the line in remains the same-us. Act of 1'l70 He later conducted istic. The first generation with tidein which I proposedthe need ecologicaldestruction. tacularsuccesses on Capitol Hill, actions explicitly modeled upon Sure, there are lots of villains The Concept research on energy and the en­ Strontium-90 in its bones (from fura global EarthDay to coincide The American conservation in the courts, and in thestreets. the civil disobedience of thecivil to point fingersat: uncaring cor­ The concept of Earth Day was Earth Day's 25 million partici· vironment at the SmithsonianIn ­ atmosphericnuclear testing),we with the twentiethanniversary of movement has a long, distin­ rights movement. Such nonvio­ porate monoliths; sleazy busi• American in its origin. However, stitution and served asdirector of trusted no one over thirty. Out­ the first Earth Day. Two months guished tradition,tracing back to pants could not be ignored. With· lent direct action has, at least nessmen out to make a quick the problems that Earth Day ad· the fllinois StateEnergy Office. raged over the state of the world afterthe articleappeared, a doz.en such giants as Thoreau,Audu­ in months, thefederal Environ­ temporarily, halted some of the buck regardless of the damage dresses were-and are-global in In February 1989, Mr. Hayes we were inheriting, we vowedthat nationa1 environmental leaders bon, Muir, and Leopold. How­ mental Protection Agency was worst whaling abuses and most leftin their wake; and politicians nature. Where Earth Day 1970 created. Congress then swiftly devastating destruction of old• took a leave of absence fromthe ey we would pass on to our children asked me to take a leave of ab- ever, the American ecological too dependent upon polluters' was the catalyst for_the creation California law finn of Cool , contributions to reelection cam­ of the modernAmerican environ­ paigns and more than willing to mental movement, Earth Day 1990 is designed to catalyze the creation of a truly global en· vironmental movement and to make the 1990s a decade of strik­ ing environmental achievements. Unfortunately, it took the dis­ covery ofholes in the ozone layer, widespread fires in the Amazon, and convincing proofof the threats posed byglobal climatechange to make the environment an issue worthy of international press in-

2 HSUS NEWS • Earth Day 1990 HSUS NEWS • Earth Day 1990 3 . The time is well nigh to set aside narrow self-interest to focus on the global environmen­ tal issues that threaten . ..the human race. terest and pride of place at the most senior citizens. Many have never stitutions. Last full, CERES un­ ternational board of sponsors, recent summit of the leaders of the been involved with an environ­ veiled a new ten-point corporate which spans every continent and major industrialpowers. Now that mental campaign before. code of ethics, the Valdez Prin­ includes two heads of state and environmental issues have cap­ Supplementing our field or­ ciples, which addresses the the leaders of ten international tured theattention of our politi­ ganizing activities, Earth Day damaging impacts of products organizations, including two cians and the press, we are pre­ 1990 has developed public­ and productionprocesses on con­ United Nations agencies. More sented with an unprecedented education programs that reach sumers, employees, communi­ than 120 countries have Earth opportunity to translate public people in their homes, work­ ties, and the global environment. Day coalitionsrepresenting thou­ concernabout the environment in­ places, and recreation centers. Already, the Principles have sands of nongovernmentalorgan ­ to concerted action. Earth Day These programs aredesigned to been endorsed by state, city,and izations, universities, and govern­ l990's campaign will send a clear change how people shop and af­ religious pension funds totaling ment agencies. Diversity is pre­ signal to theworld's leaders that fecthow they voteand raise their over $150billion in assets. In con­ dominant; planned activities the timeis well nigh to set aside children. Some are applicable junction with other coalition range from an "Indigenous narrowself -interestto focus on the primarily to a U.S. audience, members, Earth Day 1990 is Peoples Consultation on Bio­ global environmental issues that while others have been adapted workingwith corporations, state Diversity"in the Philippines toa threaten the continued existence fur use in other countries. treasurers, portfolio managers, "Green Train'' bearingEarth Day of the human race. The timehas universities,and citiesto urge the l990's logo on its side as it travels come to focus our collective wide adoptionof the Valdez Prin­ through twenty-one major Italian energies on making "sustainable EducationTo reach the nextgeneration of ciples as an effective gauge for cities testing pollution levels with development"more thana pleas­ leaders with lessons that we have corporate performance and a its on-board laboratory. ing rhetorical phrase. yet to learn,Earth Day 1990 has guideline for socially responsible developed formal educational investing. materialsincluding a lesson plan TheInternational Global Challenge Earth Day is a TheTo Constitnencymeet the fonnidable chal­ and surveyfor studentsin grades concept whose time has come. lenge of building a constituency K-12 and a campus environmen­ GlobalResponding Cities to a surge of mu­ Global environmental issues ex­ for sustainable development, tal audit forcolleges and univer­ nicipal environmental activism, emplify the interdependence of Earth Day 1990 is seekingthe as­ sities.At the K-12 level, students EarthDay 1990 has developedthe communities around theworld. If sistance, participation, and com­ will work with their parents to Global Cities Project, which of­ we truly want to develop solu­ mitment of leaders fromall sec­ complete a survey that they can fers city and county authorities tions to global warming; ozone tors of society. Earth Day l990's use to measure the environmen­ practicalassistance in expanding depletion, ocean pollution, and national board of directors is lal soundness of theirhomes. The or creating programs thatfulfill the rest of the global ecological drawn fromgovernment, educa­ campus audit will help students, the maxim, "Think globally. Act horrorsthat we've created, world tion, labor unions, civil rights faculty, and administrators to locally." leaders needto take the pragmatic groups, corporations, academia, gauge accurately the impact their Under the Global Cities Proj­ step of setting aside parochial and the arts and includes the college has on the community's ect, Earth Day 1990 will assist priprities and focusingon threats CEO of every major national en­ environment throughthe genera­ cities and counties� develop or to the global commons. Earth vironmental organization in the tion of solid, medical, radioac­ expand existing programs in Day l990's global campaign will United States. tive, and hazardouswaste as well areassuch as ride-sharing, recy­ provide the politicians of the At the grass-roots level, Earth as its air and waterpollution, pro­ cling, energy and waterconserva ­ world compelling evidence that Day l990has built a nationalnet­ curement policies, and dangersin tion,hazardous-waste reduction, there indeed exists an informed work of local and regional orga­ the workplace. and treeplanting. Cities partici­ and angry constituencythat con­ nizations that has given birth to pating in the project also will siders the health of the planet an regional officesopening across the receive an "Earth Day Project issue second to none. country. Local grass-roots and InvestmentDrawing on the examples of Planning Gnide" and will be eli­ student organizationsnow existin the antiapartheid and other gible to attend project-planning hundredsof cities, including all of social-justicemovements, theen­ seminars held throughout the If IfYou you Wantwant to tojoin Get the InvolvedEarth Day the nation's largest metropolitan vironmental movement has couutry. The response has been 1990process, contact our main of­ areas.Individua lsinvolvedinlocal launchedan ambitiouscampaign enthusiastic, with participants fice in Palo Alto, California. Earth Day 1990 coalitions are a to apply environmental concerns ranging fromNewark, New Jer­ Regardless of where you live, our study in diversity, with participa­ to decisions in the corporate sey, to San Diego, California, to fieldstaff can put youin touch with tion ranging from members of boardroom. I cochair the Coali­ Atlanta, Georgia. a localgrass- rootscoordinator. For neighborhood-improvementasso­ tionfor Environmentally Respon ­ further information, contact: ciations to citycouncil members, sible Economies (CERES), Earth Day 1990, PO Box AA , from environmentalists to civil­ which includes environmental InternationalOn the international Earth Day level, StanfordUniversity, Stanford, CA rights activists, fromstudents to organizations and financial in- EarthDay 1990 has a growingin - 94309; ( 4is) 321-1990. II

4 HSUS NEWS • Earth Day