April 22, 2020 is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.
More than ever, we are one world.
From the launch of Sputnik to the Apollo Moon Landings, to the Space Shuttles and the International Space Station, the people of Earth have been given better and better views of our planet. However, it is a December 1968 picture by Astronaut Bill Anders in Apollo 8 while circling the Moon, that left the 1st viewers breathless.
A beautiful blue, white and very fragile dot in the black vastness of space.
Today, that photo is called Earth Rise.
Perhaps then, it is not surprising that in the 1960’s, people in the United States became even more concerned about air and water pollution. The modern environmental movement had begun. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created in 1970.
In the words of Earth Day creator, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson: “We have only one Earth and we need to take care of her.”
In the Spring of 1970, an estimated 20,000 people celebrated across the United States. Many went on to begin or join the thousands of environmental organizations that now exist around the world. Here are a few well known ones and the year they were established:
National Audubon Society (1905)
National Parks Conservation Association (1919)
National Wildlife Federation (1936)
WWF-US (1961)
On April 24, 2020, the United States celebrated National Arbor Day.
Since 1990, the Arbor Day Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service has planted 50 million trees in national, state and county forests.
There are two basic types of trees: Evergreens and Deciduous and it is estimated that there are 3 trillion trees presently on Earth. They are an integral part of the planet support system and are appreciated for a wide range of uses.
Through the years, Indo-European cultures and others around the world have held the World Trees in high regard. Norse stories in the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, describe Yggdrasill which ties together the 9 realms with roots in Hel and the highest branches in Asgard. The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge are well known from the Garden of Eden in Judeo/Christian traditions. The sacred groves of the Celtic Druids contained trees of Apple, Oak, Yew and more.
Ohio State’s Chadwick Arboretum contains over 60 acres of trees and other plants. They have charted all of the trees on the 1600 acre OSU Campus and have also developed a tree-centric walking tour of the Oval.
Within Ohio there are 22 botanical gardens and arboretums.
The U.S. National Arboretum is located in Washington DC.
OSU Libraries have these resources and more:
Beyond Earth Day by Gaylord Nelson
Urban Forests and Trees by Cecil C. Konijnendijk…
The Urban Tree by Duncan Goodwin