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Fmr EPA Officials Release Special Environmental Protection - A Half Century Of Progress Reports For Students, Teachers

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, members of the EPA Alumni Association released a special series of reports on Environmental Protection - A Half Century Of Progress.

The series is designed to inform high school and college students and others about the major environmental problems confronting the United States in the 1960s and how they have been addressed.

The United States faced significant environmental challenges in the 1960s. Pollution was rampant and not effectively controlled. 

Illnesses and even death were caused by discharges to water and emissions to air. Birds and wildlife were in decline, and natural resources could not be productively used.

We have made significant progress in controlling pollution and cleaning up contamination, but much remains to be done to sustain that progress, tackle problems which have never been effectively addressed, and avoid or manage newly emerging problems.

Many people are not aware of this history and challenges - some because they were born long after the nation’s concerted environmental programs had begun, and the most serious problems had been abated.

The goal of these reports is to inform high school and college students and others about the major environmental problems and issues encountered in the United States in the 1960s, how they were addressed, and the importance of continued effort to overcome remaining challenges and address newly and emerging problems.

Half Century of Progress consists of an Overview together with more detailed reports about particular programs: Clean Water, Clean Air, Pesticides, Toxic Substances, Waste Management, Hazardous Site Cleanup, and Drinking Water. 

The Association hopes these reports will bring about a greater appreciation of the need for effective environmental programs and inspire students and others to consider careers in the environmental field.

They also developed a Teachers’ Guide and additional resource materials to accompany Half Century and we welcome comments and suggestions on ways to improve these materials and make them more useful.

The reports include--

-- Protection The Environment - A Half Century Of Progress - Overview

-- Cleaning The Air We Breathe

-- Protecting And Restoring Water Quality

-- Reducing Pesticide Risks

-- Assuring Safe Drinking Water

-- Controlling Toxic Substances

-- Recycling And Managing Waste

-- Emergency Response & Hazardous Site Cleanup

-- Teacher’s Guide to the Series [Click Here to request]

Supplemental materials on How Regulations Are Developed and the National Environmental Policy Act and Environmental Impact Statements are also available.

Members of the Association are available to speak to schools and civic organizations using presentation materials based on the Half Century reports. Click Here to request a speaker.

Visit the EPA Alumni Association’s Environmental Protection - A Half Century Of Progress webpage for more information.

[Note: EPA was created in 1970 and over the years state laws on many of these issues were enacted before federal action was taken, but sometimes not.  That is certainly true in Pennsylvania where major laws controlling air pollution, water pollution, on mine reclamation, waste management and recycling and more were enacted first.

Regardless of whether they were first or states were, the federal government has been a major partner in supporting state and local environmental protection and restoration efforts.]

Earth Day 50 PA

Visit the Earth Day 50 PA website for more special events, Earth Day 1970 remembrances, environmental reading lists and more.

Related Articles - Remembering  Earth Day 1970:

Earth Day 50 PA: Edwin Charles: The Earth Day Teach-In Must Continue

Earth Day 50 PA: Marci Mowery: A Sense Of Place In This World

Earth Day 50 PA: Richard Lewis: What I Did On The First Earth Day 50 Years Ago

Earth Day 50 PA: Wayne Kober: Impact & Inspiration From First Earth Day

Earth Day 50 PA: Earth Day At 50: Progression, Emergence, Park & Rec Involvement

PA Environmental Council At 50: We Had To Do Something

PA Environmental Council At 50: Taking The Lead

PA Environmental Council At 50: A New Millennium

PA Environmental Council At 50: Securing Our Environmental Rights

Related Articles- Earth Day:

Op-Ed: My Fellow Conservatives Are Out Of Touch On The Environment - Fmr. Gov. Tom Ridge

Op-Ed: 50th Earth Day: Time To Consider Wiser Course - We Are All Of This Earth And Dependent On It - Bernie McGurl, Lackawanna River Conservation Association

Op-Ed: Earth Day 1970 Changed My Life - Carol Collier, The Academy Of Natural Sciences

Op-Ed: Earth Day 50: A Wakeup Call To The Scientific Community - Science Matters -Roland Wall, Director, Ruth Patrick Center For Environmental Research

Op-Ed: Earth Day - 50 Years And Counting - Joanne Shafer, Centre County Recycling Coordinator

Earth Day 2020 – Bringing Pennsylvanians Together Even Though We’re Apart

DEP’s Blog: Earth Day 50 PA: DEP Staff Reflections

DEP’s Blog: By Acting On Climate, We Help Make Every Day Earth Day - DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell

DEP’s Blog: Peregrine Falcons Soar In PA As Earth Day Celebrates 50 Years

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Looking Toward Earth Day 2070 - DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn

DCNR Good Natured Blog: Earth Day At Home

PA Parks & Forests Foundation Posts Special Earth Day 50 PA Newsletter

PA Forestry Assn: Special Earth Day Edition Of Pennsylvania Forests Quarterly

Shippensburg University Hosted Virtual Campus Climate Commitment Signing Event

Pittsburgh Organizations Going 100% Renewable Energy On Earth Day's 50th Anniversary

Western PA Conservancy: Honoring Earth Day By Preserving An Historic Farm In Westmoreland County

Pocono Arts Council Announces Online The Earth Speaks VI - A Juried Exhibition On The Environmental Crisis

[Posted: April 24, 2020]


4/27/2020

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