Earth Day comes around again.
The 1970s became a period of environmental awareness. The country began to awaken to the deplorable direction we had taken. Here in Athens, Georgia, members of the Institute of Ecology gave public lectures that were well attended.
The first Earth Day, April 22 1970, we spread the word about the concept. I traveled to a small college over in Alabama to give a lecture. With a carousel of slides under my arm, I was alarmed to find that I was to speak outside in the quad. So I gave it my best shot. Alabama Governor Wallace had sent a representative down to find out what this was all about.
In the 70's we made real progress. We got the lead out of gasoline, over the screams of the auto industry. A colleague at Emory took tree corings for elemental analysis. He told me that he could see exactly when lead disappeared from the atmosphere.
Water. I wore a tie clasp (remember?) that said "Clean Water." We debated among ourselves -- how do you judge water quality? We persevered.
Air. Our cities were covered with a yellow haze, quite visible when you flew into one. I was sampling on Panola Mountain near Atlanta and right in the flight path to the airport. You couldn't see downtown Atlanta from there, because of the haze. And, I spent a winter quarter in Riverside, California. Ugh!
It wasn't easy to do. Resistance to change was fierce. Over and over again, we heard the old saw: "Needs more study." No it didn't. You could see, smell and taste pollution. Eventually we got government action.
The bad news -- It will have to be done all over again. Industrial figures have taken away the EPA. The fox is in the henhouse. Our leadership is denying climate change, their heads in the sand.
C'mon, youngsters! Take charge! To the polls!
Dac Crossley
April 22, 2019
"The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets." -- Will Rogers.