Earth Day

April 23, 1970, Neenah-Menasha Daily Northwestern

With Earth Day being yesterday, I couldn't let it go unnoticed.  This rather ominous photo by an unknown student illustrates the need for protection from pollutants that triggered the very first Earth Day in 1970.  Today, the focus might be more on global warming or in ridding ourselves of reliance on plastics, but back then, with pollution so bad that the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson spearheaded the Earth Day efforts in the US with teach-ins and peaceful demonstrations.   As evidenced here, students all over the country followed his lead, to include this creative effort at St. Patrick's in Menasha.