Earth Day plants the seed for environmental care

On Friday, April 22, the United States will celebrate its 46th Earth Day.

Earth Day was incubated in the environmental and political turbulence of the 1960s. Rachel Carson’s 1962 wake-up call “Silent Spring” warned a generation of Americans about the unintended consequences of dumping tons of toxins in the environment. This was followed by the massive 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara, Calif., that caused nationwide alarm and anger.