This episode of Going Green explores the history of the environmental movement, focusing on the impact of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring and the establishment of Earth Day. It highlights the growing awareness of environmental issues throughout history and the role of key figures in advocating for environmental protection. The conversation also discusses the legislative reforms and architectural advancements that resulted from the environmental movement.

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Episode Extras - Photos, videos, sources and links to additional content I found during my research.

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Episode Credits:

Production by Gābl Media

Written by Dimitrius Lynch

Executive Produced by Dimitrius Lynch

Audio Engineering and Sound Design by Jeff Alvarez

Archival Audio courtesy of: Anna Samsonov, hjvd, The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel, Congressional Archives Carl Albert Center, Nelson Institute, EarthWeek 1970

By the 1950s, the scientific community was beginning to grasp the severe widespread impact

humans could have on the global environment.

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However, this critical information remained beyond the reach of the public, shrouded in

technical studies and complex data.

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A glaring illustration of this human impact was dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane, better

known as DDT.

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This chemical

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the most potent pesticide the world had seen, laid bare the vulnerabilities of nature.

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Developed in 1939, DDT first proved its worth during World War II, eradicating malaria

-inducing insects on South Pacific islands and serving as an effective delousing agent in

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Europe.

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Its developer even won a Nobel Prize for it.

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DDT was released for civilian use in 1945.

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and quickly gained popularity.

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Yet, amidst the widespread acclaim, a voice of caution emerged from nature writer Edwin

Way Teal, who warned,

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Against the backdrop of growing pesticide use, Rachel Carson, a celebrated author and

former marine biologist with the U .S.

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Fish and Wildlife Service, championed the resilience and interconnectedness of natural

ecosystems.

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Her writings, which included bestsellers like Under the Sea Wind and The Sea Around Us,

highlighted our symbiotic relationship within nature.

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Despite the popularity of her works,

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Carson hesitated to confront the pesticide issue directly due to anticipated backlash from

chemical companies and complicit public officials.

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However, a letter from a friend about massive bird deaths in Massachusetts linked to DDT

compelled her to

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Now, to these people, apparently the balance of nature was something that was repealed as

soon as man came on the scene.

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Well, you might just as well assume that you could repeal the law of gravity.

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The balance of nature is built of a series of interrelationships between living things and

between living things and their environment.

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You can't

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step in with some brute force and change one thing without changing many others.

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Now this doesn't mean, of course, that we must never interfere, that we must not attempt

to tilt that balance of nature in our favor.

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But unless we do bring these chemicals under better control, are certainly headed for

disaster.

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She pitched an article to Reader's Digest about nearby DDT tests, but the proposal was

rejected, underscoring the controversial nature of her findings.

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Undeterred, Carson began compiling her research into what would become Silent Spring, a

detailed account of how DDT permeated the flu chain, accumulated in animal tissues, and

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led to cancer and genetic damage.

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Navigating a breast cancer diagnosis herself, in her book,

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which she called her poison book, Carson advocated for a cautious approach to chemical

use, stating, If we are living so intimately with chemicals, eating and drinking them,

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taking them into the very marrow of our bones, we had better know something about their

power.

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She painstakingly spent four years translating scientific data into simple information for

a mass audience.

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Upon its publication on September 27, 1962, Silent Spring sparked widespread public

outrage.

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So much so, that during a presidential press conference, John F.

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Kennedy was questioned about and acknowledged the need for a government investigation into

synthetic pesticides, propelled in part by Carson's influential

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I'm Demetris Lynch, and this is Going Green.

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We have to choose to say no, to give up some luxuries.

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And these kinds of decisions will be the real measure of our commitment to the

environment.

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I don't think there's any other issue viewed in its broadest sense, which is as critical

to mankind, as the issue of the quality of the environment in which we live.

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We previously went on a sweeping journey through the transformation of the American

landscape and the hard learned lessons of ecological mismanagement.

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I highlighted in the wake of destruction, there's always room for innovation and recovery.

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Figures like George Washington Carver, Buckminster Fuller, and pioneers in climate

science, such as Guy Callender and Charles David Keeling remind us that through ingenuity

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and careful study,

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we can find ways to harmonize our technological advancements with the natural world.

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If you haven't listened to that episode, I encourage you to go back and listen to all the

episodes of this series in order.

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Now, in May 1963, Kennedy's Science Advisory Committee issued a report confirming many of

Rachel Carson's warnings, advocating for more restrained pesticide use and further

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research into their health impacts.

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Marking a pivotal moment,

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in environmental science, Silent Spring not only transformed public awareness, but also

helped initiate a series of regulatory reforms that would change our relationship with the

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environment.

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And I'll get into that after the

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Episode 3, the longer we wait, the larger the problem.

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Human interaction with the environment has evolved from the early awareness of hunter

-gatherers into the sophisticated global environmental movement of today.

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Evidence from 50 ,000 BCE suggests early humans may have contributed to resource depletion

and extinctions of species, likely responding by migrating to new areas.

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Historical records from over 5 ,000 years ago show an ecological consciousness, with

ancient texts and myths emphasizing the importance of living in harmony with nature and

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expressing concern over the consequences of environmental destruction.

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Over centuries,

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This awareness deepened as civilizations recognized the impacts of their actions.

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The Indus civilization, a Bronze Age civilization in the northwestern regions of South

Asia, practiced advanced waste management.

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Ancient Greeks noted deforestation effects.

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And by 1306, concerns about coal smoke led to England's King Edward I limit on coal

burning.

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These actions reflected a growing understanding of human health and environmental

connections, prompting early forms of ecological advocacy.

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Significantly, the 18th century marked the beginning of formal environmental rights.

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Figures like Benjamin Franklin in America and Jeremy Bentham in Britain advocated for

public health and animal rights respectively.

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By the 19th century, thinkers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau

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inspired a deeper appreciation and respect for nature, leading to movements aimed at

conserving natural spaces and wildlife.

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During the 1950s, as the world faced significant environmental issues, environmental

groups warned about the consequences of plastics, chemicals, synthetics, pesticides, and

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fossil fuels, namely the 1952 air pollution incident in London that killed 12 ,000 people.

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It wasn't until

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that the issue was taken more seriously.

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These efforts led to the founding of influential organizations like the Sierra Club and

later Greenpeace, signaling a shift from individual advocacy to organized global

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environmental activism.

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In the early 1960s, a series of significant environmental events and publications marked

the growing public and governmental awareness of environmental issues.

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In 1960,

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President Eisenhower initiated a study on air pollution from cars, while renowned figures

like Jacques Cousteau opposed French plans for atomic dumping in the Mediterranean,

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reflecting a rising global environmental consciousness.

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The same year saw opposition to nuclear projects in Alaska led by figures such as Celia

Hunter.

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In 1961, environmental advocacy gained momentum with the founding of the World Wildlife

Fund.

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and other initiatives that encouraged international conservation funded by hunting

permits.

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This period also witnessed heightened risk, highlighted by a nuclear meltdown in Idaho and

a near nuclear disaster in North Carolina.

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Rachel Carson brought the environmental movement into focus with the 1962 publication of

Silent Spring.

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The movement transformed as environmental concerns became alarming to the average citizen.

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stimulating the fear that ecological damage at the current rate could endanger the

survival of humans and the

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In the post -World War II era, hundreds of thousands of young Americans turned away from

the comfortable middle -class life their parents had established, embracing a rebellious

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spirit.

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The visible signs of the 1960s hippie counterculture included long hair, bell -bottom

jeans, flower crowns, and the use of mind -altering drugs.

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However, its deeper impact came from the radical social and political movements it

spurred, notably civil rights,

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opposition to the Vietnam War and the nascent environmental movement.

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Widespread protests provided a vehicle for environmental discourse to further surge in the

national consciousness, even permeating entertainment.

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Tom Lear, an American musician, singer -songwriter, satirist, and mathematician recorded

and performed a song titled Pollution on a satirical US TV show called That Was the Week

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That Was.

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If you visit American City, you will find it very pretty.

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Just two things of which you must beware.

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Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air.

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Pollution, pollution, we got smog and sewage and mud.

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Turn on your tap and get hot and cold running crud.

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See the halibuts and the sturgeons being wiped out by detergents Fish gotta swim and birds

gotta fly But they don't last long if they try Pollution, pollution You can use the latest

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toothpaste And then rinse your mouth with industrial waste

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In 1965, a US president's advisory committee panel warned that the greenhouse effect is a

matter of, real concern.

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And on February 8th, in a special message to Congress on conservation and restoration of

natural beauty, US president Lyndon Johnson warns buildup of carbon dioxide in the

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atmosphere.

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This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale.

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through radioactive materials and a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of

fossil fuels.

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Pollution destroys beauty and menaces health.

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It cuts down on efficiency, reduces property values, and raises taxes.

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The longer we wait to act, the greater the dangers and the larger the problem.

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In 1965, the US saw significant environmental action as Congress enacted the Water Quality

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Noise Control Act and Solid Waste Disposal Act, establishing essential environmental

standards.

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The Sierra Club set a legal precedent by successfully suing to protect New York's Storm

King Mountain, marking a milestone for environmental advocacy by securing legal standing

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based on non -economic interests.

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In the workplace,

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The U .S.

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Public Health Service released a report advocating for improved worker safety and health

in the face of new technological challenges.

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This report paved the way for the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, or OSHA.

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That same year, tragedy reinforced the need for environmental action.

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A phenomenon known as weather inversion occurred in New York City, leading to a severe air

pollution event where a noxious combination of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide

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blanketed the city.

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Normally, air temperature gradually decreases as altitude increases, but in an inversion,

this relationship is reversed.

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In the right conditions, a warmer air mass can move over a cooler one, preventing any

movement of the cooler air mass.

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In a polluted area, the denser, cooler air traps the pollution close to the ground.

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New York City already had a problem with pollution.

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That year, deaths from pulmonary emphysema and chronic bronchitis skyrocketed.

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Reports estimate that smog killed anywhere from 169

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to 400 people throughout that year.

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The inversion event began on November 20th.

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By the 23rd, the buildup of sulfur dioxide and the visible smoke shade from the

particulates and chemicals of factories, chimneys, and vehicles began to interfere with

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the atmosphere.

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The pollution was two to three times higher than usual.

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The population of the area affected by the smog has been estimated at 16 million

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The city would not receive relief for three days until a cold front finally arrived on

November 26, clearing out the warm air.

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It's not clear there were any deaths because of and during the event specifically, but a

study found that 10 % of the city's population had developed some negative health effects

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from the smog, including symptoms like stinging eyes, coughing, wheezing, the coughing up

of phlegm, or difficulty breathing.

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This and similar events kept the environmental conversation top of mind and further

highlighted the need for regulatory oversight in the U .S.

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In Britain, the collapse of the SeaGym offshore oil platform did the same as the

catastrophe resulted in deaths of nine people, underscoring the risk of industrial

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advancements.

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Together, these events continued to raise awareness and spurred environmental and public

health policies.

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Despite this growing consciousness, environmental activists hadn't yet coalesced into a

true movement reminiscent of the civil rights and anti -war activists.

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The slow growth had long frustrated Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic senator who was one of

Congress's most passionate environmentalists.

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Thanks to Senator Nelson, the beautiful St.

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Croix River in northwestern Wisconsin with towering bluffs and clear, cool water,

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is going to be saved from the pollution and commercialization which have spoiled most of

America's great rivers.

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Born in 1916 to a nurse and rural doctor, Nelson's early life in Clear Lake, Wisconsin,

instilled in him a deep connection to community and nature.

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His academic journey led him from a political science degree at San Jose State University

to a law degree from the University of Wisconsin, setting the stage for his distinguished

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political career.

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After serving as a first lieutenant in World War II, Nelson entered politics.

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first as a state senator and then as the governor of Wisconsin.

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His tenure was marked by progressive policies and an early commitment to environmental and

consumer protection.

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In 1962, he advanced to the U .S.

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where he remained a significant figure until 1981, supporting civil rights and vigorously

opposing the Vietnam War.

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Nelson's environmental legacy, however, was cemented with the creation of Earth

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in 1970.

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In August 1969, Nelson traveled to California, where he spoke at a water conference and

visited the scene of an oil spill in Santa Barbara.

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On that trip, he was struck by an article he read in Ramparts magazine about the anti -war

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Teach -ins were a form of protest

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where seminars were held on a specific political or social issue.

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The first teach -in was conducted at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, where 200

faculty members canceled regular classes and held special anti -war seminars.

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Rallies and speeches dominated for 12 hours.

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Nelson envisioned a similar event, a National Day of Environmental Education and Advocacy.

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Recognizing the power of grassroots mobilization,

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Nelson set April 22nd, 1970 as the date for a nationwide environmental teach -in, which he

announced with the help of Republican Congressman Pete McCloskey of California, who served

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as his co -chair on the committee behind the event.

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Despite his otherwise conservative views, McCloskey was a committed environmentalist who

also opposed the Vietnam War.

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Leading up to the event, a groundbreaking 1969 book, Designed with Nature,

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had arrived, echoing the spirit of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring and catalyzing what would

become known as the environmental decade.

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The author, Ian McHarg, was a Scottish landscape architect and writer on regional planning

using natural systems.

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He has profoundly influenced landscape architecture over the past half century and put

forth concepts that spurred significant environmental legislation in the United States.

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including the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and the

enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act, among others.

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McCargh introduced the Layer Cake method of suitability analysis in landscape

architecture, a technique that predated Modern Geographic Information Systems, or GIS, and

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integrated science, art, and planning.

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His methodology emphasized that landscape architecture was uniquely poised to address

ecological problems by revealing the quote, right answers through data.

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McCargh fully embraced the idea of Earth Day.

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As chair of the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Landscape Architecture and

Regional Planning, he took a key role in planning for Philadelphia's Earth Day event.

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Meanwhile, back in Milwaukee,

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Day before Earth Day, Senator Nelson spoke on the upcoming event.

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It's tremendously encouraging to see all across this country the remarkable interest on

the campuses and off the campuses on an issue which is not only just an issue of survival

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but an issue of how we

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I don't think there's any other issue viewed in its broadest sense, which is as critical

to mankind as the issue of the quality of the environment in which we live.

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You hear the word ecology.

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That's a big science, not a narrow one.

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It's a big concept.

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And it is concerned with all the ramifications of all the relationships of all living

creatures.

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to each other and their environment.

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It is concerned with the total ecosystem, not just how we dispose of tin cans, bottles,

and our garbage.

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It is concerned with the habitat of marine creatures, animals, birds, and man.

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And our goal is not just an environment of clean air and water and scenic beauty while

forgetting about the worst environments in America, in the ghettos.

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and Appalachians and elsewhere.

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Our goal is an environment of decency, quality, and mutual respect for all human beings

and all other living creatures.

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An environment without ugliness, without ghettos, without poverty, without discrimination,

without hunger, and without war.

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Our goal is a decent environment in its broadest and deepest sense.

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And winning the environmental war is a whole lot tougher battle.

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challenge by far than any other challenge ever to confront mankind.

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We could terminate our involvement in Laos in 30 days, and it's my belief we should, and

we could terminate our involvement

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We could terminate our involvement in the killings in Vietnam in 120 days, and I think we

should.

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but wish for it, work for it, fight for it, commit unlimited resources to it nevertheless.

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The battle to restore a proper relationship between man and his environment, between man

and other living creatures, will require a long, sustained political, moral, ethical, and

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financial commitment far beyond any commitment ever made by any society.

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in the history of man.

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Are we able?

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Yes.

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Are we willing?

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That's the unanswered question.

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The first Earth Day was a phenomenal success, galvanizing over 20 million Americans.

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Events ranged from protests in educational forums to symbolic acts like the Dead Orange

Parade in Miami, a spoof of the Orange Bowl Parade where some Miami activists created two

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dozen floats depicting scenes like a globe in a coffin, a toilet used as a stand -in for

Biscayne Bay, and a surfboard that complained about feces in the water.

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In Philadelphia, McHarg famously challenged the public with a stark message about

industrial threats to future survival, reflecting his vision of landscape architecture

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that served ecological integrity over capitalist interests.

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He envisioned the profession as a guardian of public and natural interests against

unchecked development.

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As department chair, McHarg was also tasked to identify and invite speakers for the

Philadelphia

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Among those were Ralph Nader, Nobel Prize -winning biochemist George Wald, poet Alan

Ginsberg, the cast of the heiress' iconic Broadway musical, Hair, and U .S.

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Senator Edmund Muskie.

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We've reached a point where our technology produces more kinds of things than we really

want, more kinds of things than we really need, more kinds of things than we can live

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with.

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We have to choose to say no, to give up some luxuries.

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And these kinds of decisions

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will be the real measure of our commitment to the environment.

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This unprecedented public participation across the nation led to significant environmental

legislation.

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The EPA was established by President Richard Nixon in 1970, and the Clean Air Act, Clean

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All legislation that you'll find very much displeased pro -business conservatives.

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Senator Nelson's vision for Earth Day transcended its countercultural roots to become a

mainstream movement, embedding environmentalism in the national conscience and prompting

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academic initiatives, with colleges across the US establishing environmental studies

programs to nurture the next generation of environmentalists.

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This activity also set the stage for the modern era of sustainable architecture.

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as architects began to take a much more holistic approach to building design.

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Architects were inspired to reduce building greenhouse gas emissions, protect natural

resources, and create healthier living environments for people.

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Concepts such as airtight envelopes, natural ventilation, and passive solar heating became

mainstream, leading to advanced sustainable features such as green roofs, photovoltaics,

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geothermal heating systems,

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and earthen construction as the movement evolved.

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The counter -cultural rebellion against high -rise congestion and suburban sprawl

motivated some of the earliest and most dedicated eco -activists to move to rural communes

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where they lived in tent -like structures and geodesic domes.

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And we'll further explore this architectural evolution next time on Going Green.

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There is a seeking to return to the larger tradition of architecture.

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not to revive it because it's very hard, no one can ever revive anything, no one knows

exactly what was in the minds of any individual before or in any epoch before, but to see

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that work of the past.

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Thanks for listening.

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