Earth Day was officially on 22 April, but in many communities
and countries around the world it’s celebrated for the entire
week or month. Earth Day was founded 40 years ago by U.S.
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. His goal was to create a
grassroots movement that would show the government just how
concerned Americans were about the environment and get laws
enacted that would enforce protection of the earth and its
inhabitants – us. By the end of that year, in December 1970, the
Environmental Protection Agency opened its doors. A very good
start. Since that time, there have been many years when there
has been little to celebrate. Although there has been continual
progress, including some milestones, there have also been pretty
serious setbacks. For example, of the 80,000 chemicals that have
been produced and used in the U.S. since the Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA) was enacted 34 years ago, only 200 have been
tested by the EPA, and only five have been regulated. But in the
last year, the EPA has unde