Profile of Richard Nixon and Earth Day 1970

Richard Nixon and His Importance to Environmental History. 

Richard Nixon was immensely important to our modern perception of being environmentally conscious. While his tenure as president of the United States was short, he was one of the first presidents to truly prioritize the health of our planet. Richard Nixon made his intentions on getting the United States on track for environmental success clear from the start. Right after his inauguration Richard Nixon made the statement that "resources that are so important to any kind of society that we want for the future. I don’t think we have paid enough attention to this. . . . We are going to do a better job than we have done in the past." via Science History Institute. This public stand was huge, while some argued if it was for purely political reasons, it didn't truly matter. The Environmental conscious of Americans was growing, and the newly elected president making a choice to promise change on a hot button topic was greatly heard.. 

The next great step that Nixon took to further cement the advancement of environmentalism in the consciousness of the United States government was signing the clean air act. This act was signed in 1970, and it as well as its additions contributed to an overall clearing of 70% of six major pollutants. This change was hugely unpopular  for big business as it required a lot of new and expensive overhaul to prior existing infrastructure. This act was marked as a victory for the American public and will forever be a part of the Environmentalism movement. 

Despite his controversial tenure as president of the United States, Richard Nixon will always be regarded as one of the main driving forces of the Environmentalist movements of the early 1970s. 

U.S Department Of Agriculture| President Nixon signs the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

Earth Day 1970

Earth Day 1970 is a interesting time in human history. Most view Earth Day 1970 and the proceedings as a reawakening of Environmental worth in the American Public. Combinations of signs of the environment being in distress, and a youth with different ideals and goals then the generation before. Lead to one of the greatest total movements and show of the power of the people in the history of the world. 

The starting of the mobilization of protestors and activists that made such a huge difference in 1970 can be traced back to Senator Gaylord Nelson a junior senator from Wisconsin. He held the dangers of  the then environmental  downward spiral the earth was heading in in high regard. The tipping point for Senator Nelson was in January 1969 during the Santa Barbara, California oil spill, via earthday.org. This event lead to the decision to gather a panel of 85 individuals to start a campaign to end the negative impacts of human beings on the earth. A day of awareness was thought up, a day that we now know was Earth Day. During earth day 1970 countless individuals surrounded political buildings and places to show their distain for the nonexistent environmental standards that companies and governments held themselves to. 

This public outcry was loud enough to reach the ears of the highest political powers in America. As the newly elected Richard Nixon made it a clear point to show his dislike of the environmental distress the earth was under, making a clear stand when he said "We are going to do a better job than we have done in the past." via Science History Institute. He backed this up when he eventually signed various documents and standards that be the core of what business still hold themselves to till this day. 

Overall Earth Day 1970 was a major point in creating environmental awareness for the average American. To this day we are still celebrating earth day, but we still have lots of work to do. If we ever want to create the healthy world that was dreamed of. 

Earth Day 1970 |University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability

How these Events Affect us in Keene State Today

If Earth day 1970 and Richard Nixon's impactful changes to environmental restrictions never happened, life would be very different. It is hard to say what the exact differences would be. However we can see that there has been definite improvements since the Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970 according to Sara Gregg, who is an associate professor of history and environmental studies at the University of Kansas. Gregg says in the 1960s “Congress acknowledged … that it was not safe to put your body into the water,” via CBS News. These widespread impacts would definitely be seen here in Keene NH. For example, although the Ashuelot River isn't regarded as the cleanest river, it would be in a lot worse shape if the environmental trends of the 1960s continued to this day. Also the river may have been in such poor shape that it may have had the tendency to catch fire at points. Much like how the Cuyahoga River in Ohio was recorded catching fire many times. 

Ashuelot River, Stone Bridge, Keene, N. H.| PICRYL

South Branch Ashuelot River, East Swanzey NH | Wikimedia Commons