[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 46 (Monday, April 25, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 EARTH DAY: SENATOR GAYLORD NELSON'S VISION BECOMES A LIVELY TRADITION

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, last Friday, April 22, was America's 
25th annual celebration of Earth Day. As in years past, it was observed 
with ceremonies, teach-ins and cleanups in communities across the 
United States. In just a quarter century, Earth Day has become a 
tradition--a tremendously popular occasion for Americans to focus on 
conservation and environmental protection.
  Regrettably, few citizens--especially millions of younger Americans 
who are the most enthusiastic observers of Earth Day--are aware of the 
origins of this annual event. It was our beloved former colleague, 
Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who originated the concept for 
Earth Day and championed it into reality.
  In September 1969, Senator Nelson set forth his vision for Earth Day 
in a speech in Seattle. His call for a national environmental teach-in 
to be held the following spring was met with an overwhelming grassroots 
response. Telegrams and phone calls poured into Senator Nelson's 
office, and his staff set about organizing and orchestrating the first 
Earth Day on April 22, 1970. That inaugural Earth Day captured the 
attention and imagination of the entire country, and the popularity of 
this annual event has been sustained for 25 years now.
  Of course, Senators of a certain age know that Earth Day was but one 
facet of Gaylord Nelson's career-long commitment to environmentalism. 
As Governor of Wisconsin from 1959 to 1963, he initiated the Outdoor 
Recreation Acquisition Program--using revenue from a penny-a-pack on 
cigarettes to purchase 1 million acres of recreation and wildlife 
areas. As U.S. Senator from 1962 to 1980, cosponsored the 1964 
Wilderness Act, authored legislation to preserve the 2,000-mile 
Appalachian Trail, and introduced the first bills to control strip 
mining, mandate fuel efficiency standards, and ban DDT.
  Today, this Army veteran of the Okinawa campaign in World War II, is 
counselor of The Wilderness Society--the position he has held since 
1981. His passion for environmental protection remains strong, and his 
list of victories grows longer by the year.
  Mr. President, our friend Gaylord Nelson's work is hardly finished. 
However, he is a man who has already made his mark on our national 
life. The annual national observance of Earth Day stands as a living 
tribute to Gaylord Nelson--a great environmentalist and a great 
American.

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