Earth Day is officially April 22nd. We’ve been celebrating Earth Day in the US since April 1970 when 20 million Americans demonstrated to force the protection of our environment onto the national agenda. In December 1970, Congress created a new federal agency to handle environmental issues– the US Environmental Protection Agency.
Prior to the creation of the EPA, there were no regulations keeping factories from releasing toxic smoke into the air or dumping toxic waste into local water sources. It was completely legal to poison our environment. If not for the EPA, we would not have the Clean Air Act nor the Clean Water Act. Earth Day is a time to celebrate and renew our dedication as Americans to protect the environment we live in.
The following are…
