TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY • April 21, 2022
After more than five decades, it is time to let go of Earth Day. Conceived by peace activists and initially promoted by international labor unions, it has been the focus of mass mobilization and awareness campaigns. In 1970, Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for a national teach-in at the first Earth Day. He predicted that “accelerating rates of air pollution could become so serious by the 1980s that many people may be forced on the worst days to wear breathing helmets to survive outdoors.” He was wrong about air pollution. He was wrong about Earth Day. Its history is littered with slogans, speeches and grand pronouncements — but not with many environmental improvements. It’s time to let it rest. ~ Kent Lassman, Competitive Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC