Know Your Green History?

U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for a nationwide demonstration in the spring of 1970 aimed to raise awareness of environmental issues. It worked. The first national Earth Day was April, 22 1970.

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Discover Earth Day Events in Your Neighborhood : Planet Green
We Recycle for Earth Day : Green Cleaning, Water : TreeHugger
Have Your Own Personal Earth Day and How : Planet Green

Walden recounts Thoreau simplified life on the banks of Walden pond. The book is considered an American classic. The book is a favorite amongst eco-minded people because it emphasizes self-reliance and closeness with nature.

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Henry David Thoreau as Climatologist: Scientists Use Field Notes ...
Thoreau Inspires High School in the Woods : TreeHugger
Read 7 Great Green American Classics : Planet Green

Yellowstone was one of the last unexplored regions in the continental United States. It's known for its astounding geological diversity and exotic natural features. Created March 1, 1872, it is the first US national park.

John Muir not only founded the Sierra Club, the largest, oldest and most influential environmental group in America, but he also played a critical role in the creation of Yosemite National Park. Many consider him to be California's most influential citizen of all time.

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In the (Low Carbon) Footsteps of John Muir
The Sierra Club Launches MPG Calculator
Join the Sierra Club , Get a Rucksack

The book documented the hazardous effects of DDT and other pesticides on the environment, birds and humans. Carson indicts the chemical industry for spreading disinformation about the safety of their products in order to keep their pesticides on the market and scolds the government for not doing its part as a watchdog.

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Which Books Have Inspired You?
Rachel Carson: Environmental Pioneer
Top 100 Eco-Heroes

The EPA was signed into law by Richard Nixon. The aim of the agency is to protect our health by keeping the environment in a livable, useful condition. In 1992, the EPA unveiled the Energy Star program, an international standard for energy-efficient products.

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EPA Gives $565 Million of Stimulus Cash for Water Projects
EPA and CCNY in Joint Venture to Produce Environmental Scientists
EPA Proposes First Nationwide Greenhouse Gas Reporting System

The Endangered Species Act has been, for the most part, successful. Only two species listed (that weren't already extinct) have gone extinct. Nineteen others have recovered and have been delisted. The ESA has a 93% success rate in the US Northeast.

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Endangered Species Act : 93% Success Rate In Northeast
AP Reports Proposal to Drastically Alter Endangered Species Act
Focus on Focus Earth: Changes to Endangered Species Act

That same year, 140 countries celebrated Earth Day. What good news! Too bad that's the same year that the UN said that the global temperature might rise two degrees by 2025. Oh, well. You have to take the good with the bad.

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Earth Day: Oh, What is the Point of it all?
Dissecting Environmentalism : An Interview with Adam Werbach
Who's Not Your Typical Environmentalist?

The two-door Honda Insight was the first hybrid available for the US market. Hybrids were available in Japan in 1997. The Insight had an EPA mileage rating of 61 mpg city and 70mpg highway. (The EPA changed its mileage ratings in 2007, so this mileage would be somewhat lower by today?s standards.)

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Hybrid -Electric Cars: How They Work, Battery Technology and More
How to Go Green: Hybrid Cars Green
Top Green Hybrid Car Tips

An Inconvenient Truth was presented by Al Gore and directed by Davis Guggenheim. Guggenheim won the Oscar, not Gore. Gore didn't even win it for best song, Melissa Ethridge did. An Inconvenient Truth is the fourth-highest-grossing documentary of all time.

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An Inconvenient Truth : Oscar Winner
An Inconvenient Truth Goes Climate-Neutral
Al Gore Readies Sequel to "An Inconvenient Truth"