Published: April 16, 2018
“It is time for us now as a nation to exercise the same reasonable foresight in dealing with our great natural resources that would be shown by any prudent man in conserving and widely using the property which contains the assurance of well-being for himself and his children."
The first Earth Day was held in San Francisco in 1970, with its initial focus on the United States, and as a protest to the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development. In 1990, Earth Day became a global event coordinated by the Earth Day Network. the Earth Day Network’s mission is to diversify, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide. This year’s theme “End Plastic Pollution,” focuses on creating support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.
Clean Air Act and Amendments
77 Stat. 392 - Clean Air Act - December 17, 1963
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81 Stat. 485 - Air Quality Act of 1967 - November 21, 1967
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84 Stat. 1676 - Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 – December 31, 1970
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91 Stat. 685 - Clean Air Act Amendments of 1977 - August 7, 1977
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104 Stat. 2399 - Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 - November 15, 1990
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42 U.S.C. 7401 - Clean Air Act
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Clean Water Act and Amendments
86 Stat. 816 - An Act to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act - October 18, 1972
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91 Stat.1566 - Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments - December 27, 1977
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101 Stat. 7 - Water Quality Act of 1987 - February 4, 1987
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33 U.S.C. 26 - Water Pollution Prevention and Control
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Other Legislation
83 Stat. 852 - National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 - January 1, 1970
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87 Stat. 884 - Endangered Species Act - December 28, 1973
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102 Stat. 2779 - Plastic Pollution Control Act of 1987 - October, 28, 1988
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Additional Resources
- Earth Day Network, the official Earth Day site
- EPA Summary of the Clean Air Act - 42 U.S.C. s7401 et seq. (1970)
- EPA Summary of the Clean Water Act - 33 U.S.C. s1251 et seq. (1972)
- Explore EPA’s Earth Day website for lesson ideas for teachers, for, homework resources for students, and, community service project ideas.
- To support the celebration of Earth Day, The U.S. Government Publishing Office offers for sale new and classic official environmental publications that present both scientific and practical information to protect and improve the nation's air, foster the protection of plant and animal species and their habitats, help protect human health, and promote a cleaner and healthier environment for the American people.
- Check out the Earth Day Network’s Plastic Pollution Calculator to learn about how many plastic items you consume every year, and download their Plastic Pollution Plan and Tracker, and, Plastic Pollution Primer and Action Toolkit, to think about a plan to reduce your plastic pollution footprint.