Cecily Kiss
Earth Day
4-22-08
Thirty-Eight years ago today our nation celebrated the first Earth Day and the Environmental Protection Agency was established at that same time by Richard Nixon, who had a mission to protect the environment and public health. Today Earth Day is still a day to take action, protect, and become aware of the environment.

Also in 1970, the Clean Air Act was amended by congress, setting the standard for national air quality, auto emissions, and anti-pollution standards, however, the act wasn’t passed until 1990. In the years following the first Earth Day, congress restricted the use of lead based paint, passed the Clean Water Act, reviewed the usage of pesticides, cleaned up several hazardous waste sites, tested for radon gas in homes, initiated a pollution prevention act, researched alternative energy sources, and among other things made recycling more accessible.

“With all of the talk about global warming,” Stacy Nelson a freshmen at Utah State University said “I don’t see why people don’t participate in Earth Day more and learn how to be proactive about protecting the environment, call me a tree hugger.” Global Warming has been considered one of the greatest environmental issues of our time. In the Sundance Film Festival hit “An Inconvenient Truth” Al Gore states “We Can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue, rather, it is one of the biggest moral challenges facing our civilization.”
Everyone can easily become more proactive in protecting the environment on Earth Day.

“It’s simple to get involved,” Marti Bowles, A freshmen at Utah State University said, “my roommates and I decided to go outside and pick up all the trash around our apartment, we’re college students, we don’t have a lot of time but we can still do our part.” several websites, including the website for “An Inconvenient Truth” offer suggestions on how to get involved in taking action against global warming and protecting our environment.

Closer to home in Logan, Utah, the Chemistry Club and the Sustainability council are hosting the “Going Green Extravaganza” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the quad and is open freely to the public. Sarah Huefner, the president of the Chemistry Club said the fair celebrating earth day is meant to increase students’ awareness about ways to be green on campus. The Utah State University Sustainability Council and the Wellness center are sponsoring a 1.4 mile “Blue Goes Green Wellness Walk” from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. beginning at the wellness booth on the quad.