Earth Day founder called Wisconsin home - Royal Purple News
Before recycling a plastic bottle or turning off a light to save energy in honor of Earth Day, it is important to take a look at how this 39-year-old celebration began.The first Earth Day, held April 22, 1970, was a national event to learn about ecology and how to reduce environmental harm. Behind the environmentally friendly idea was one man.
A native of Wisconsin, Sen. Gaylord Nelson became the founder of Earth Day after spending many years figuring out a way to bring attention to the topic. Nelson was elected to the Senate in 1962 and served for 18 years.
Nelson used his political connections to persuade President John F. Kennedy to make a nationwide conservation tour in 1963, according to research by University of Missouri political science professor David Webber. Although Kennedy traveled to various states to speak about conserving natural resources, the effort hardly received any media attention and Nelson decided something more needed to be done.
UWGBGo Green!Harper's Magazine would nickname the new school “Survival U,” and Newsweek would call it “Ecology U.” When Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin lobbied for a national day of environmental awareness on April 22, the Green Bay campus naturally took it to FEECO International and ENCAP, LLC – Support First Annual Green Earth Day activities keep ‘green' in UW-Green Bay
Milwaukee Journal SentinelBioscience, genetics, ecology revolutionizing 'Ag Ed' classThe approach represents part of a revolution in agriculture education that is under way across Wisconsin and the United States. The so-called "cows and plows" high school curriculum - animal science, plant science and mechanics - once dominated by farm