-------
From The Administrator Of EPA
In the late 1960s, a series of
environmental horror stories
gave rise to the first Earth
Day. Rivers caught on fire.
Whole cities were routinely
enshrouded by thick black
clouds of industrial pollution.
Raw sewage was discharged
into rivers, and automobiles
released ten times the
emissions of today's cars.
Soon thereafter, the Environmental Protection
Agency was formed to address these and other
growing problems. By the late 1970s, dramatic
progress was achieved in water quality, automobile
emissions, and waste disposal.
By Earth Day's tenth anniversary, we were
witnessing a second wave of environmental
challenges, often more subtle and difficult to address.
Everywhere we looked, we found evidence of toxic
chemicals: in our food, in our water, in our soil, and
in our air.
Now, as we approach the twentieth anniversary of
Earth Day, we face yet a new wave of environmental
threats, even more challenging: acid rain, global
warming, habitat destruction, and stratospheric ozone
depletion. The earth's climate may be at stake, and
with it, the very survival of life as we know it on this
remarkable planet.
What should we do? What can we do? First, we must
recognize that, in one way or another, every sector of
our economy—agriculture, housing, transportation,
energy—and each of us as consumers contribute to
these problems. So we must start preventing pollution
as the primary means of meeting our environmental
objectives.
We simply cannot afford to fail. And we will not
succeed without educating all sectors of society and
involving them in meeting the challenges we face. We
must choose to act and we must act together. No
better opportunity awaits us than Earth Day. On
Sunday, April 22, 1990, join the celebration at
numerous locations across the country, and become
a partner in meeting the environmental challenges
ahead.
—William K. Reilly
Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
About Earth Day
On April 22, 1970, environmental protection was an
idea whose time had come. In towns and cities all
over America, millions of citizens demonstrated their
concern about air and water pollution and advocated
the little known concept of ecology.
Earth Day was educational. Thousands of schools
and colleges held special "teach-ins" on the
environment, and tine mass media carried similar
educational programs into virtually every home. New
information, new perspectives, and new values were
communicated throughout the land.
Earth Day was powerful. The U.S. Congress
adjourned for the day so that members could attend
programs in their districts. In Earth Day's wake, the
dean Water Act and the Clean Air Act were passed
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was
established.
Earth Day was enduring. A generation has grown up
since, the first ever to accept and share a scientific
comprehension of how integrated, interdependent
natural systems function to sustain life. Public
commitment to the goal of environmental protection,
the true heritage of Earth Day, has been strengthened
down through the years.
What you can do. Earth Day's twentieth anniversary
offers a special opportunity for individuals to make a
personal commitment to the protection of the
environment. Your commitment might be signified by
a simple act, like planting a tree and assuring that it
survives. Or you might make changes in your
consumer habits such as determining to conserve
energy or recycle waste products. You might visit
Copyright NYT Pictures.
your local library where you will find many books
about natural systems and how they function.
Educate yourself and you will better understand
environmental issues as they unfold.
Join with others. Find out which groups are planning
Earth Day programs in your area. Check with your
state or local environmental protection office. Write or
call the appropriate EPA Regional Office listed in this
brochure. You may also wish to contact one of the
many environmental organizations planning Earth
Day commemorations.
If no activities are underway nearby, you and your
friends, classmates, or neighbors can launch a
program of your own. Why not? Earth Day belongs
to everyone; you don't need anyone's permission to
take part. The important thing is to do
something ... to take some action that will leave the
earth a better place for us all.
Copyright Neal Boeruil NYT Pictures.
c..
y v
T^l
-------
You Can Make A D,/>: ~
Earth Day
EPA Regional Contacts
Brooke Chamberlain-Cook
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 1
Public Affairs - RPA 2203
JFK Federal Bldg.
Boston. MA 02203
(617)565-3420
Connecticut Massachusetts,
Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, Vermont
Lisa Peterson
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 2
Office Of External
Programs-RM 905
26 Federal Plaza
New York. NY 10278
(212)264-2515
New Jersey. New York, Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands
Janet Viniski
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 3
841 Chestnut Street 3PAOO
Philaledphia. PA 19107
(215)597-9370
Delaware, Maryland,
Pennsylvania, Virginia, West
Virginia, District of Columbia
Jane McConathy
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 4
345 Courtland Street. NE.
Atlanta, GA 30365
(404) 347-3004
Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee
Jon Grand
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 5
230 S Dearborn Street
Chicago. IL 60604
(312)353-2072
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,
Minnesota. Ohio, Wisconsin
Phil Charles
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 6
12th Floor
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas. TX 75202
(214) 655-2200
Arkansas, Louisiana. New Mexico,
Oklahoma, Texas
Rowena Michaels
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 7
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City. KS66101
(913)236-2803
Iowa, Kansas. Missouri. Nebraska
Eric Johnson
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 8
999 18th Street
Suite 500
Denver. CO 80202-2405
(303) 294-7599
Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,
South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming
Deanna Wieman
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 9
215 Fremont Street
San Francisco. CA 94105
(415)974-8083
Arizona, California, Hawaii,
Nevada, American Somoa, Guam.
Trust Territories of the Pacific
Jean Baker
Earth Day Contact
U.S.EPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue
Seattle. WA 98101
(206)442-1203
Alaska, Idaho, Oregon,
Washington
Ann Boren, Director
Earth Day 1990
U.S.EPA (A 101-ED)
401 M Street. SW.
Washington. DC 20460
(202) 475-7751
Make Every Day An Earth Day
Photo Credits
Children at EPA's Earty Environment Plant a tree for the future.
Child Dvelopment Center, Washington, Copyright Grog Pease, Folio Inc. Planting
DC., leam about recycling. Steve Delaney 'Dune* Grata" helps preserve
photo. Delaware's shoreline. Tony Pntt Phot*
Delaware ONRK.
------- |