Forty years ago today, the first Earth Day celebration highlighted the grass-roots environmental movement that had been developing among political, educational, agricultural and community groups since the early 1960s. The event is credited with having brought the tenets of environmentalism into the public consciousness, triggering a wide variety of conservation programs that continue to this day.
Yet, over these past forty years, the results have been mixed. While there has been increasing attention paid to recycling, protection of endangered species and the control of air and water pollution, enforcement has been uneven and the power brokers of industry and government have provided only token support. In many ways, the health of our natural environment has worsened: suburban sprawl, industrialized farming, deforestation, rampant consumption and an ever expanding human population have all taken a toll.
Even the annual celebration of Earth Day has become commer-cialized, providing an opportunity for retailers to cash in on what is now known as the Green Movement. While a recent commit-ment to wind energy and hybrid vehicles, triggered by the political climate and high oil prices, is reassuring, the search for fossil fuels continues to expand across the globe. American suburbanites, encouraged by regional governments, have joined the recycling bandwagon but continue to douse their yards with chemicals and try to consume their way toward happiness. Despite its many success stories, the environmental movement, more than ever, faces an uphill battle against the tide of human nature.
