1991_04 The Daily Collegian April 1991

              Letters to the Editor
The Collegian ♦ April 22,1991
Earth Day should give cause for reflection
What would prompt college
students to bury automobiles
in the ground of their cam¬
puses? What could get 20 mil¬
lion Americans thinking about
the same thing at the same
time? What might possibly
cause the Congress to adjourn
for a day?
Well, in 1970 there was a day
where people actually took
time out of their lives in cele¬
bration of our mother Earth. If
you haven't heard by now
today is the 21st Anniversary
of Earth Day.
It began in the mind of
Gaylord Nelson, a Senator from
Wisconsin, who realized that
there were some serious prob¬
lems in the air on the land and
in the sea, created by the hu¬
man race. He envisioned a day
of teach-ins across the US. to
discuss these issues. A young
law student at Harvard, Denis
Hayes, offered himself to do
the job and organized what
came to be the biggest demos-
tration since the end of World
War II.
On that day 22nd day of
April, a wave rushed across
the nation and the world. It
was a day of focus on the prob¬
lems of pollution, garbage and
pesticides. Over 500 members
of Congress attended teach-ins
or gave speeches.
The Public Broadcast Station
and the major networks aired
programming about environ¬
mental issues. Fifth Avenue in
New York City and Wilshire
Boulevard in Los Angeles were
closed to traffic for a few hours
that day. Reynolds Metal
Company sent trucks around
to colleges to pick up alumi¬
num recyclables in what was
called,"trash-ins." Adayofin-
novation, celebra¬
tion and educa¬
tion.
So what if
people got all ex¬
cited and had a
day in honor of the
Earth? So, some
very important
events followed
thatdirectly affect
our lives today.
Clean Air and water acts, along
with the Occupational Health
and Safety Act, were passed.
The Environmental Protection
Agency was formed. Congress¬
men with lousy environmental
records were defeated.
Even the non-human animals
benefitted with the Endan¬
gered Species Act of 1973.
Ninety million acres of Alaska's
wilderness became federally
protected. The Carter Admini¬
stration began the Synfuel
project to find energy alterna¬
tives. President Carter put
Denis Hayes in charge of The
Solar Energy Research Insti¬
tute. According the Hayes, the
research there would have
made it possible that by the
year 2025, "a third of the
country's energy could have
come from clean energy
sources." What happened to
all this progress?
Well in theeighties, weexpe-
rienced the Re-
Earth Day began in the mind of
Gaylord Nelson, a Senator from
Wisconsin, who realized that there
were some serious problems in
the air on the land and in the sea,
created by the human race.
agan administration. Much of
Carter's environmentally
friendly policies were axed.
This of course paved the way
for the business of war to keep
going, but thafsanother issue.
Tne government overlooked
problems of pollution, nuclear
waste, acid rain, species ex tinc-
tion.
The oil and automobile in¬
dustries must have been
thrilled with these years. And
perhaps most dangerous of all,
Reagan appointed the infa¬
mous James Watt as head of
the EPA. Need I say more?
As thenineties wereabout to
roll around Hayes started to
rekindle the fire under Earth
Day. The Twentieth Anniver¬
sary united 200 million people
around the globe in 140 na¬
tions.
This was the biggest even t in
world history. People from
different cultures, religions,
social and economi¬
cal classes, all had
their minds tuned in
together. There were
parades, tree plant¬
ings, teach-ins,
workshops, televi¬
sion and radio pro¬
gramming, lectures,
Earth fairs, rallies,
concerts and
marches. A funeral
was held for the
polluted Lake Ponchatrain in
New Orleans.
KansasCity had a can crush¬
ing and recycling contest.
Almost every community in
America had something to do
and something to say. All of
this to celebrate life, educate
children and parents and
grandparents, to show govern¬
ments that people are con¬
cerned about the health of our
planet home, and to thank the
Earth. But hopefully the most
important message was and is
to change the way that humans
*view the planet.
But what good does all this
effort do, if your neighbor
continues to throw out five
garbage cans full of trash this
week. The lady in church is
pregnant with her sixth child.
Doesall this talk about endan¬
gered wildlife stop the poacher
who has just killed one of the
last snowleopards for some
vain woman's fur coat.
What about you? Is it some¬
one else that is doing all the
damage? Are you going to
throw this newspaper in the
trash or are you going to re¬
cycle it? When you go home
tonight, how many lights ar
going to be on when you aren't
even in the room.
Are the wounds to the Earth
problems for the government
to handle? Is recycling just
something for those people
who live in Qovis to do be¬
cause they get their recyclables
are picked up. What am I say¬
ing?
Consider that everything you
do tomorrow, from the time
you get up and take a shower
to the minute you turn off your
lights to sleep, is going to effect
the environment in some way.
But your only one person right?
Now consider that there are
almost five and a half billion
other "only one persons," shar-
See LETTER page 16
Entertainer by any other name would be better
The CSUF Vintage Days
Committee has misrepresented
thc students and misused the
money tor its featured per¬
former — Delia Reese.
I thought Vintage Days was
a traditional spring celebration
forstudents,faculty,and school
employees. But, is this concert
for students or the communi ty?
Instead of committing itself
to a fixed week years in ad¬
vance, the committee should
have the vision to accomodate
the best available talent for
anytime in the spring. Perhaps,
then, students and their friends
can rock with Living Color,
dance with Los Lobos, and jam
with San tana.
But no-o-o-o-o-o! We get
Delia Reese. Delia Reese? I will
bet that 99 percent of the stu¬
dent population under age 25
does not own a Delia Reese
album, cassette, or compact
disc. I will bet that Ms. Reese is
not on the playlist of the major¬
ity of radio stations in the free
world, including KFSR. I will
bet also that at least one stu¬
dent thinks Ms. Reese invented
the peanut butter cup.
I wonder, how many CSUF
students will attend Ms. Reese's
show? Sorry, Delia, but I spent
$3 to see San Francisco's Zasu
Pitts Memorial Orchestra atthe
Madera Chili Cook-Off, and
$15 to see Los Lobos at the
CSUF Satellite Student Union
(May 3).
I would pay also to see Perm
& Teller, Robin Williams, Chris
Isaak, and any Windham Hill
artist, Laurie Anderson, George
Coates, and Van Morrison with
Mose Allison. I think students
woul d respond better to a film
festival honoring an actor or
director than capping Vintage
Days with Ms. Reese.
The committee's selection of
Ms. Reese can be put into per¬
spective by a fellow student's
comment, "Delia Reese? It
sounds like someone my par¬
ents should know."
Mitch Huerta
Earth.Profs
split over
compliance
Continued from page 1
Brown.
Early success from the faculty
has been mixed, ranging the full
spectrum on Earth Day; some
professors have told Windt they
couldn't com ply, whileotherssaid
they were more than happy to help.
A couple even gave lectures last
week,beingaweekahcad of sched¬
ule.
"I don't know how successful
it'sgoingtobe," Windt said.
The Earth Day festival will be
more successful if the information
is brought into the classrooms,
See EARTH, page 6
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The Californian
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