When “The Blue Marble” photo of Earth was taken by the crew of Apollo 17 from the surface of the moon on December 7, 1972, it showed us just how vulnerable and precious our planet, that little droplet of life, is within the hostile vastness of space.
Even before that, the world was beginning to recognize that nurturing the Earth was not only the job of scientists but is the responsibility of all of us. When the first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970, it was not just about statistics and predictions of rising sea levels and global temperatures. It was about being kind to our little blue marble. To commemorate the event, President Richard Nixon (not generally known for his compassion or environmental policies) along with the First Lady, Pat Nixon planted a special Earth Day tree on the White House South Lawn.
It was the 70’s and the hippie revolution was in full swing. There were protest against the war in Viet Nam, the Beatles and rock and roll gave the world a new soundtrack. Peace and love were in the air. Looking back on that time, I have to cringe at the long hair, tie-died shirts, peace signs and words like “groovy” and “far out” that we would repeat with such solemnity. And yet “Flower Power” was not just a fashion accessory, it was a means of remaking the world into a kinder, more inclusive, equitable place. I figured if Nixon could be an environmentalist, so could I.
Back then, on that very first Earth Day (and I am a little embarrassed), I took it upon myself to save the life of an overgrown pine tree that was spreading over half the front lawn of our high school in Mount Vernon. The tree was probably as old as the school itself and had become an obstruction for lawnmowers, dropping pine needles and threatening the safety of the building and its occupants in the event of a storm.
Undeterred by the administration’s reasonable arguments, I staged an all-night vigil supported by a number of well-meaning classmates to protect the rickety old tree from the chainsaws with our very bodies. (We were literally tree huggers.) Our protest was a success in that the tree was spared and lived on to be a hazard and an obstruction for years to come. When I think about it now, our protest was not so much about our environmental courage as it was about the kindness and wisdom of our school administrators. They allowed us to perpetuate an inconvenience to give us the experience of making a positive difference in the real world.
Things are different today. Now, instead of planting trees on the South Lawn, it’s “Drill Baby, Drill!” in our national parks. The government is banning words like “gay” “advocacy” “environment crisis” and “affirming care”. (Also gone are some silly terms like “pregnant person”.) Elon Musk now feels free to call people “retarded”. Better to be rude than woke.
On the other hand, the first Earth Day was celebrated by 20 million Americans while now, according to the original national coordinator, Denis Hayes, Earth Day has become “the largest secular day of protest in the world” with more than a billion participants. It proves we still love our little blue marble even out here in the vastness of space.