Political Quotes

“In 1969, American astronauts heading for the first walk on the moon sent back breathtaking pictures of the Earth. Later that year, Senator Gaylord Nelson called on teachers and students to hold a national teach-in on environmental issues. The two events were closely related. The NASA photos gave everyone on Earth an inescapable image of our planet as one world, a tiny 'blue ball' floating in the vastness of space. Along with Senator Nelson's call to action, it helped galvanize a growing consciousness of the Earth's fragile environment and how it was affected by human activity. Millions of people answered Gaylord Nelson's call. On April 22, 1970, over 20 million Americans--including students at 10,000 public schools and a thousand colleges--gathered to express their concern about environmental issues. 'Earth Day' was born. Congress responded quickly by establishing the Environmental Protection Agency and enacting three sweeping laws that laid the cornerstone for the environmental protections we enjoy today: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act. The first Earth Day and its aftermath were a great success. On Earth Day 1999, we can celebrate the fact that the air we breathe, the water we drink, and our oceans, rivers, and streams are cleaner now than when Earth Day was first celebrated. In the past three decades, we have banned lead in gasoline. We banned DDT. We reduced toxic air emissions.…”