Today in Labor History Apr 22 first "Earth Day," hundreds of thousands of Americans demonstrated

[Omaha Steve]

April 22

April 22, 1970 - During the first "Earth Day," hundreds of thousands of Americans demonstrated their concern for the environment. Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson played a key role in launching Earth Day.

For more on Earth Day, visit http://earthday.envirolink.org/

Labor history found here: http://www.workdayminnesota.org/index.php?history_9_04_22_2011

[Blue_In_AK]

1. Little known fact re Earth Day

is that President Nixon's Secretary of the Interior, Wally Hickel from Alaska, was very instrumental in the first celebration. Here's an interesting article re his involvement printed at the time: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1083567/index.htm

The Earth as Seen From Alaska

The first, last and maybe forever Earth Day bloomed last week as a pastiche of 1970 Americana. There were balloons, buttons, flowers, folksongs, young and earnest talk—a hodgepodge of expression on the state of the environment. What serious lessons were learned or harsh truths assimilated will be measured, perhaps litterly, in due time. If Earth Day was an occasion for examining commitment to the environmental cause, nobody's commitment was as worthy of exploration as that of Secretary of the Interior Walter J. Hickel, the man charged by the Federal Government with the safekeeping of the nation's parks, wildlife, water and natural resources. And Walter J. Hickel revealed some surprising attitudes on Earth Day.

Hickel chose to spend this day in his home state of Alaska, being photographed up a polluted river, with paddle, giving a mood-testing address to students at the only university in America that deepfreezes caribou out its dormitory windows and talking privately, in his highly personalized manner, of environmental issues and problems.

Before Hickel's Pan Am flight finally took off for Fairbanks it squatted on the runway at New York's Kennedy airport for more than an hour, jet to jet in a traffic jam. The smell of burning fuel seeped into the cabin where he sat polishing the speech he would deliver that evening at the University of Alaska. Accompanying him were his wife, Ermalee; Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens; a former Alaskan Senator and Governor, Ernest Gruening; one aide and one reporter. Hickel had received more than 200 invitations to speak and chose the one farthest away—and the smallness of his retinue showed how well he had succeeded in keeping his profile low.

That Hickel ventured onto any college campus to take part in Earth Day observances, and encouraged 500 Interior Department employees to do likewise, is said to have caused discontent in the more conservative reaches of the White House. But in spite of the chill from above, Hickel publicly praised the concept of educating people about the environment. "Not only have the Earth Day sponsors aroused the interest of the student community," he said, "they have enlisted the support of the established conservation organizations, women's clubs, teachers, civic groups and individuals. They truly have sought to bring us together in a common cause." With that Hickel recognized the Earth Day people as members of his and the Interior Department's constituency.

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Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1083567/index.htm#ixzz1KTVTaGkz

Nixon later fired Hickel because of Hickel's opposition to the incursion into Cambodia and the Kent State massacre. He was a good man, and we miss him here in Alaska.