After a three-year pandemic break, Earth Day Fresno returns this month at City College
by Andrea De Zubiria
April 11, 2023
https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article274205340.html
I grew up in the ‘70s with Woodsy Owl saying “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute”, the crying “Indian” public service announcements and Smokey the Bear cavorting with Disney animals to tell us that only we could prevent forest fires. I had no idea that such “environmentalist” messages were kind of a new thing at the time.
I also did not know that prior to the 1970s there were minimal legal or regulatory mechanisms to protect the environment. Imagine a time when there was no Environmental Protection Act, no Clean Air Act and no Clean Water Act. Factories were free to spew pollutants into the air, urban water supplies were being contaminated with impunity, hardly any Americans had heard of recycling and the pesticide DDT (along with lax hunting laws) almost wiped out the bald eagle.
But in 1962, Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring,” about the indiscriminate use of pesticides, brought attention to the interdependence of humans and nature. Then some dramatic disasters like a giant oil spill around Santa Barbara and a contaminated river that burst into flames near Cleveland heightened Americans’ awareness of our effect on the air and water that we depend on.
As a result of heightened public concern, Republican President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency in December 1970. According to the EPA, he presented the House and Senate “ a groundbreaking 37-point message on the environment. “ These points included: requesting $4 billion dollars for the improvement of water treatment facilities; asking for national air quality standards and stringent guidelines to lower motor vehicle emissions; launching federally-funded research to reduce automobile pollution; ordering a clean-up of federal facilities that had fouled air and water; seeking legislation to end the dumping of wastes into the Great Lakes; proposing a tax on lead additives in gasoline; forwarding to Congress a plan to tighten safeguards on the seaborne transportation of oil; and approving a national contingency plan for the treatment of oil spills.
Back in 1970, April 22 was chosen for Earth Day because it was between spring break and midterms, which would make it easier for students to participate. So it is fitting that this year, Earth Day Fresno will occur on the campus of Fresno City College on Saturday April 22. This is a free family friendly event sponsored by the Environmental Collaborative of Central California and Fresno City College’s Division of Math, Science and Engineering. There will be entertainment and educational booths. Citizens’ Climate Lobby Fresno will be there with opportunities to tell your members of Congress to support legislation that lowers greenhouse gases in our atmosphere like healthy forests, urban trees, electrification and carbon pricing. A yard sale at CCLF’s booth will raise funds to send area young people to attend a conference and meet with our members of Congress in Washington, D.C. You can visit with other Earth Day Fresno participants, like The Central Valley Young Environmental Advocates and learn about the critical work of the San Joaquin Valley Air District. There will also be vendors, food trucks, electric vehicle test drives, a bike clinic, kids activities and more.
April offers more local events to honor Earth Day and to learn about environmental challenges and solutions that we can all participate in. These include: Fresno Interfaith Climate Summit, Saturday, April 15, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno Earth Day at Fresno State, Wednesday, April 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (near the bookstore) Twenty million people participated in the activities and “teach-ins” on America’s first Earth Day. It is now estimated by EarthDay.org that a whopping 1 billion people will participate in Earth Day activities in 193 countries. Due to the pandemic, the last Earth Day Fresno was in 2019 at Radio Park, so you won’t want to miss the come-back event April 22 at Fresno City College, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Andrea De Zubiria is the group leader for the Fresno Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which helps pass legislation that supports climate change solutions.
