Archive Gallery: The Birth of Environmentalism

On the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we take a look back at where it all began

By Denise Ngo Posted 04.23.2010 at 4:35 pm 2 Comments

Ozone Debate

The year 1970 was a pivotal one for the modern environmental movement: on April 22, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day, which quickly grew from a grassroots demonstration into the week-long celebration that we partake in to this day. And on December 2, President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to the growing demand for green legislation and environmental oversight.

We shouldn't be surprised, then, at the influx of environment and pollution-related articles recorded in our archives during the early 1970s.

Prior to that decade, keyword searches for typical green terms turn up only a smattering of results. In 1932, we briefly mentioned that fumes from factory chimneys in Germany may be damaging farmers' crops. Dangerous chemicals were described simply as "foreign vapors in the atmosphere." In June 1955, we featured an article on anti-traffic exhaust technology, while referring to stories about smog as "scare headlines."

Oh, how times change.

Click to launch the photo gallery

Those types of "scares" of course became all too real, as studies about the thinning ozone layer and acid raid began entering the public dialogue. We are pleased to report that following the landmark publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962 and the consequent banning of DDTs, we published dozens of articles that not only examined the crisis, but that recommended ways people could contribute to a greener, healthier future for Earth.

Click through our gallery to read about 10 ways people becan to confront pollution after 1970.

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2 Comments

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reddwhite

04/24/10 at 10:43 am

Ya, what a great thing baning cfc emissions was. This is not unlike AGW theory. We had to ban cfc's and one of the best refigerants known to man to fix the ozone layer. The funniest thing is that after all this time without cfc's in the air the ozone whole has not changed.Even though our cfc's and freyon have been absent for over 15 years. Good thing we make entire industries use less efficient more expensive substances to do the same job. All based off of hack science. Reminds me of what was that story I read...... oh ya AGW theory. LOL@THEGREENIES.TARDSTHATTHEYARE.COM

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blaxpear

04/26/10 at 12:26 pm

@reddwhite - Not sure where you get your information from, but last time I checked there were noticeable improvements in the ozone layer since cfc regulation. Obviously you're not interested in educating yourself before forming any kind of opinion. Learn the science and chemistry behind the decision my friend. The only person losing out is you, but not engaging and grasping the opportunity to learn. It is your right to educate yourself. Exercise that right.