[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[House]
[Page H2741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         CELEBRATING EARTH DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, 2 days ago we celebrated Earth Day, a 
holiday that began in 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson recognized the 
growing public movement that we now know as environmentalism, and 
called on environmentally concerned citizens to join him in cities 
around the world to demonstrate, teach, and learn about preserving the 
world's natural wonders.
  Speaking on that occasion, Senator Nelson said of the first Earth 
Day, ``It may be the birth date of a new American ethic that rejects 
the frontier philosophy that the continent was put here for our plunder 
and accepts the idea that even urbanized, affluent, mobile societies 
are interdependent with the fragile life-sustaining systems of the air, 
the water, and the land.''
  Today, we have accomplished many of the goals of the first 
environmentalists: Cleaning up rivers so polluted by industrial waste 
that they burned, and air polluted with lead, mercury, and sulfur. But 
there are still many pollutants that we have not eliminated, and we 
have come to realize that pollution is not a local problem, but a 
global one as well.

                              {time}  1600

  We alter the environment with factories and refineries, but also 
through agriculture, fishing and mining. In many ways we are lucky. 
Drawing on our long experience of environmental remediation and policy-
making, we know some of the solutions to the endemic, international 
problem of climate change.
  This is a problem of such scope and depth that it can seem daunting 
at times. But if I were ever tempted to retreat from confronting this 
problem because of its size, I need only look at my daughter Alexa, who 
is here with me today, and my son Eli and realize that this is not a 
problem I am willing to leave to them.
  But Earth Day was first a day for awareness, and I would like to 
continue that tradition today by taking a short break from the 
important debates we had earlier today, and celebrate some of the small 
steps people around the country are taking to reduce their impact on 
the world we all share.
  Some Americans have found that the wind passing over their farms and 
ranches is as valuable a resource as the oil beneath the farm or ranch 
once was, and have replaced their oil wells with windmills.
  Some have jumped on board in the most American of ways--by starting a 
business. The green-tech sector is growing by leaps and bounds with 
companies developing technologies for solar, wind and geothermal 
energy, biofuels, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, smart 
electric grids, and low-carbon agriculture, to name a few.
  Some have replaced their windows and washing machines with more 
energy-efficient ones, and installed extra insulation to reduce their 
heating bills. They have discovered that just changing the light bulbs 
to an energy-efficient model will reduce their electric bill 
dramatically and save energy.
  Some companies now offer transit passes and bike racks to encourage 
their employees to commute efficiently, and many employees are taking 
up that challenge.
  But Earth Day is also a day to look forward to see what we can do 
next.
  Many Americans will install solar panels, solar water heaters, attic 
fans and geothermal heat pumps in our homes to reduce our dependence on 
the power company. Many Americans will buy houses made of renewable 
materials and cars that run on biofuels. Those same cars will plug into 
a grid during the day, providing a buffer against blackouts and 
brownouts.
  Other Americans will enjoy public transportation that reaches further 
out into our suburbs and links our communities more tightly together. 
And still other Americans will work for companies that build green 
technologies and sell them all over the world to countries desperate 
for an answer to their polluted water and air, and mounting energy 
needs.
  These are the efforts that we must begin today so we can see the 
fruits of our labor tomorrow. But today, we must all remember that 
Earth Day is an opportunity to teach our children to respect the planet 
we live on. By taking them hiking or fishing or camping or bicycling, 
we introduce them to a world of mountains and forests and beaches that 
they will continue to enjoy and appreciate for the rest of their lives. 
We protect the environment so our children will have a healthy planet 
to live on, and we teach our children to be environmentalists so that 
their children will have the same healthy home.

                          ____________________