Next week marks the 42nd anniversary of Earth Day, when some 20
million Americans took to the streets, parks and public squares
for an unprecedented call to protect our planet’s precious
resources. Because the first national show of support took place
at the height of turbulent times, it’s easy to image Earth Day
as a counter-cultural event. It was not. The idea for the
demonstration came from Democratic U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson
(Wisconsin), who recruited as co-chair conservation-minded
Republican Congressman, Pete McCloskey (California). Together
they built a bipartisan coalition of activists, academics,
celebrities and regular moms and pops. They were rich and poor,
urban and rural, businesses people and union members. Not only
did they turn out in their millions on April 22, 1970, they
stayed in the fight – creating the modern day environmental
movement. The original Earth Day was a response to a smoldering
cauldron of concerns across America. In cities like New York and
Los Angles, the daily weather re