Gaylord would, I'm sure, be far too diplomatic to single out
any individual, or any one organization, and I'm going to follow his example. I
think he would say that his environmental vision is represented in the current
generation of activists who work and struggle every day to protect our
environment from destruction. They are legion, and they are engaged in their
own communities as well as at the national level to promote an environmental
agenda. Many of them never heard of Gaylord Nelson, but he is their godfather.
Q. If he were alive today, what would cause him the most sadness about our treatment of the environment?
I think he would be most disappointed about the number of people who refuse to accept science. Gaylord was someone who did careful research, and based his policy proposals and arguments on science. He would find it hard to understand, I think, those who claim there is no relationship between climate change and the fact that there are 7 billion people on the planet, using fossil fuels -- or deny that climate change is even taking place. It's one thing to disagree about what action to take, and he was always open to listening to other points of view. But I think he would have hard time extending that to people who simply deny the facts.
Q. If he were alive today, where would he spot the rays of hope?
He used to say that today's grade schoolers ask better questions about the environment than college students did in 1970, because they have been exposed to environmental education in the schools. He was most encouraged by the fact that we now have several generations of people who have been exposed to an environmental ethic, and who have a heightened awareness of their responsibility for environmental stewardship.
The example he would give was a fifth grade girl who told him a story about her mother bringing home a can of tuna that did not have the "dolphin safe" label, showing the tuna had been caught without endangering dolphins. She insisted, she told him, that her mother take it back to the supermarket and exchange it. That is a young girl who has absorbed an environmental ethic.
That was part of the genius of Earth Day -- that it took root in the schools, at all levels, and made environmental issues not just part of the national political agenda, but part of our school curriculum as well.
To Find Out More"
We would like to provide links to two other sites that will provide more information on Gaylord Nelson and his work. They include Gaylord Nelson and Earth Day: The Making of the Modern Day Environmental Movement and The Nelson Institute For Environmental Issues.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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