At the first Earth Day in 1970, special green flags were raised all over Boulder and it was not uncommon to see someone wearing a gas mask. But, the talk wasn't climate change or carbon footprints. Concerns of the day were termed pollution, ecology and mass transportation.
Semantics aside, many agree that the first Earth Day was the beginning of the modern environmental movement in the United States. Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring," a cautionary tale about the dangers of pesticide use that was published in the 1960s, raised the consciousness of a generation. The Whole Earth Catalog, a counterculture journal of the times, educated readers about ecology.
Earth Day was founded by Gaylord Nelson, a United States senator from Wisconsin who had seen firsthand the devastation caused by a massive oil spill in Santa Barbara in 1969, according to the website earthday.org. Nelson proposed a national "teach-in" on the environment. Boulder responded with a five-day slate of teach-in programs, culminating in a celebration on April 22, 1970, at Central Park.
University of Colorado students organized lectures, workshops and symposia, making sure all were free and open to the public and encouraging participants to attend by use of alternatives to automobiles. They drew heavily from the scientists working at federal labs located in Boulder. Dozens of experts in the community participated on panels, gave speeches and led tours.
Some events reflected the times, such as the hourly ecology "rap sessions." More formal programs addressed polluted streams, polluted food, noise pollution, biocides and radiation. "The Bike Thing" was a symbolic ride to Fort Collins, Greeley and Denver, in support of alternative modes of transportation. Ecology hikes were held on trails near National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Many events from the teach-ins could be held today with as much relevance. For example, an overflowing crowd attended a program called "The Transportation Mess." Moderated by a CU student, panelist James Bowers of the University Planning Office spoke of the "horrendous" parking problem at CU and possible solutions, a Daily Camera story reported. Byron L. Johnson of the Center for Urban Affairs at CU Denver noted that transportation might be reduced in the future by television, which could allow people to meet face to face without dependence on transportation.
"Inadvertent Weather Modification" was held at the Boulder Public Library auditorium and featured scientists from the Environmental Science Services Administration (which later became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, the CU Department of Astrogeophysics, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Boulder children biked to school and picked up trash. Preschoolers listened to teachers read a picture book called "The Last Free Bird," and at Burbank Middle School students heard a teacher sing folk songs about pollution. Flatirons Elementary students gathered at an assembly for NCAR chemist James Lodge to explain the pollution problem, according to the Camera.
Hundreds of people in Boulder participated in ecology walks led by a scientist paired with a designer or architect. The groups followed team leaders along busy corridors listening to them critique the use of space. After the ecology walks, Earth Day wrapped up in Central Park with a speech by Mayor Robert Knecht on pollution. At the end of the teach-in, the Daily Camera headline concluded "Earth Is Cleaner As 'Day' Ends."
I don't know if the planet was better off, but environmental awareness was increased, as the Associated Press reported that millions of Americans participated in the nation's first Earth Day. Not by coincidence, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was founded in December of 1970.
Carol Taylor and Silvia Pettem write about history for the Daily Camera. Email Carol at email@example.com, Silvia at firstname.lastname@example.org or write to the Daily Camera, 2500 55th St., Suite 210, Boulder, 80301.