His mother bit her lip, wondering what to say to an innocent little child in terms he would understand. Mrs. Martini was taking her two children for a walk in the park in which a river cut through. Usually a place of splendor for families to stroll through on a beautiful spring day, the river now was practically littered with dead fish. Here and there lay a dead bird too, obviously from eating a contaminated fish. The pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, more commonly known as DDT, had worse results than many people had thought. The news of the affects of DDT had been all over the news for the past couple of days. Now Mrs. Martini saw the truth for herself. It was disgusting to see what humans were doing to the Earth. Killing oneself was one thing, but killing innocent plants and animals was a different story. How would the future look if this continued? She came back from her thoughts by the tug on her skirt by Kevin. He didn’t see the tears in his mother’s eyes.
The American environmental movement surfaced in the 1960's and 1970's. It wasn't until 1962 that Americans were concerned about the environment. Thanks to Rachel Carson, an ecologist and writer, her book Silent Spring (1962) was about how pesticides were killing birds and the dangers of pesticides on foods that people ate. Overall, this book described the health and environmental hazards of the pesticide DDT, which was widely used at that time in the United States and around the world, which was eventually banned in the United States in 1972. Because of Carson's writing, "many Americans realized that industrialization and economic development had exploited and damaged the natural environment" (Miller, 16). This realization helped launch an environmental movement which grew in numbers of people and organizations that were concerned and wanted to help. Thus, the American dream in the 1970s was to save the environment!
Primarily, people took advantage of raising awareness on April 22, 1970, the United
State's first Earth Day! Action that took place on this special day included planting trees, cleaning up litter, holding parades, and attending rallies. "Still, others staged protests to dramatize the goals of environmentalism" (Sonneborn, 47). More serious attempts of awareness on this day included the event of 100 students riding horses in Tacoma, Washington to speak out against auto emissions that cause pollution. "In San Francisco, California, a group calling itself the Environmental Vigilantes poured oil into a reflecting pool outside the corporate offices of the Standard Oil Company to draw attention to destructive oil spills" (Sonneborn 47).
Though many of the actions that took place may seem drastic, people wanted to let others know of the destruction the environment was going through before it was too late! What would become of the Earth, home to countless living organisms of people, plants, and animals, if something wasn't done soon to change the negative environment conditions? Furthermore, how would the later generations survive in a world that was neglected by past inhabitants? From that day forward, April 22 is known as Earth Day.
In addition to Earth Day, further action that took place for public awareness included the first major environmental law that was passed during the Nixon administration. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law on January 11, 1970 on live television. NEPA later created a brand new federal agency called the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA works to protect people and the natural world in the U.S. Some of EPA’s main goals include: clean air and clean and safe water, safe food, preventing pollution, reducing global risk, and better waste management.
EPA’s successes consists of "lowering the amount of lead that children are exposed to by controlling lead-based paint and banning DDT, a very harmful pesticide that can hurt animals
and cause cancer in people" (Binns, 8). EPA was also responsible for "cleaning up the Great Lakes, which were very polluted and also toxic waste sites such as Love Canal in New York in 1980" (Binns, 9). The Agency also "fines businesses that break the laws and pollute the environment. For example, Exxon, whose tanker Exxon Valdez spilled oil in Alaska in 1989. Many animals died as a result of the oil spill" (Binns, 9). These are just some of the many ways EPA is doing their part to make a difference.
Similarly, animal and plant protection was also a concern for many people. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) began with a conference in Washington, D.C. in 1973. The conference led 80 nations to sign CITES. CITES "monitors and sometimes restricts international commerce in plant and animal species believed to be harmed by trade" (A History). Cites overall aim is “to make sure that international trade in wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. Trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to a vast supply of products derived from them including food products, leather goods, and medicines" (What is). Later in the year of 1973, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was passed by Congress.
The ESA's primary purpose is to protect and recover endangered species and the ecosystems in which they depend upon. It is administered by the Interior Department's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), which is responsible for land and freshwater creatures. ESA is also administered by the Commerce Department's National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which is responsible for marine wildlife such as whales and salmon. Species may be listed as either endangered or threatened under the ESA.
According to the ESA, "endangered species are ones considered to be in danger of
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range while threatened species are likely
ESA). To the ESA, "all species of plants and animals except pest insects are eligible for listing as either endangered or threatened" (ESA). ESA's ways of protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitats include prohibiting harassment, pursuing, hunting, shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, collecting, or harming which can actually kill or injure wildlife by impairing behavioral patterns such as breeding, feeding, or sheltering.
Overall, the concern for the environment was so great in America in the 1970’s that it brought the attention of many people who wanted to change the negative environment conditions. Jeopardizing the health and well being of the present and future inhabitants was the leading factor for so much change. For better living for people, plants, and animals, much was done to assist in many areas that needed improvement. All the organizations and people, who put so much time and effort into their work to help everyone and the Earth, did an impressive job to make a difference. We can all help too!
WORKS CITED
"A History of the Endangered Species Act of 1973." U.S Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered Species Program. April 2008. 6 April 2010.
www.fws.gov/endangered/factsheets/history_ESA.pdf.
Binns, Tristin. The EPA: Environmental Protection Agency. Chicago: Heinemann Library. 2003.
"ESA Basics: More Than 30 years of Conserving Endangered Species." U.S Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered Species Program. February 2009. 6 April 2010.
www.fws.gov/endangered/factsheets/ESA_basics.pdf.
Miller, Debra A. Conserving the Environment. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press. 2010.
Sonneborn, Liz. The Environmental Movement: Protecting Our Natural Resources. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. 2008.
"What is CITES." Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 6 April 2010.
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