EARTH DAY 2011 – DOA OR RISING?

Is Earth Day Dead
April 20, 2011 (Earth 911)

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] "Earth Day continues to play a vital role in nurturing environmental stewardship in America…[I]t brings people together at recycling centers, community gardens and rallies…[and] provides a touchstone to see how far we have come in restoring the Earth and how we can best protect it for the future.”

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] “…I still remember the dirty air that hung over cities [at the time of the first Earth Day in 1970]…Raw sewage floated in the New York Harbor…[Rivers were] dumping grounds for industrial toxins. The organizers of Earth Day broke through this haze with a surge of optimism…The environmental movement that grew out of the first Earth Day…succeeded in securing the bedrock laws that have made our air safer, our water cleaner and our landscapes better protected.”

click to enlarge

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] "Earth Day events give us a chance to celebrate…[but the] planet is facing more sweeping challenges than ever before: things like climate change, ocean degradation, and the prevalence of toxins in our food and household products…[With] the optimism of that original Earth Day…[and] enough passion and commitment, we can turn it around…"

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] "… Earth Day is not the only day Americans think about the planet, anymore than Valentine’s Day is the only day we proclaim our love…"


A sampling of street smarts about Earth Day (actually the lack thereof). The interviewer is Jennifer Berry, a friend of NewEnergyNews. From Earth911TV via YouTube

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] “People…have embraced green solutions, and environmental stewardship has become more pervasive than even the Earth Day founders could have imagined…”

[Francis Beinecke, President, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):] “…[T]hink about the environmental actions you take in your everyday life—switching to energy efficient light bulbs, using public transit more often, eating less meat or fish—and take it to the next level…[And] write to your elected officials in support of the environmental policies that matter…Positive, solutions-oriented actions like these confirm that the spirit of Earth Day endures.”