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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
PROPOSED RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING APRIL 22, 2026 AS EARTH DAY FOR THE FOREST PRESERVES OF COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, Earth Day was first established in 1970 as a way to recognize the environmental disasters faced by communities throughout the United States, including oil spills, power plants, toxic dumps, pesticides, the extinction of wildlife, and the loss of wilderness; and
WHEREAS, throughout the 1960's and 1970's, environmental awareness increased due to declining air and water quality, increased knowledge about Earth's finite resources, and increasing popularity in environmental publications showcasing the consequences of environmental disasters; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gaylord Nelson, a junior Senator from Wisconsin, was concerned about the deteriorating environment in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Senator Nelson, together with a young activist named Denis Hayes, organized a series of teach-ins on April 22, 1970, on college campuses, which utilized economics, science, community organizing, ethics, and spirituality to promote environmental education; and
WHEREAS, the teach-ins inspired 20 million Americans at the time (about 10% of the population) to take to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to rally against the impacts of 150 years of industrial petroleum and electricity development, large-scale manufacturing of goods, and increased urbanization, which left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; and
WHEREAS, following the momentum of Earth Day on April 22, 1970, President Richard Nixon delivered a presentation on the environment, created the Council of Environmental Quality, and consequently sent Congress a plan to consolidate many environmental responsibilities of the federal government under the newly created Environmental Protection Agency, established on December 2, 1970; and
WHEREAS, in the following years, under guidance of the Environmental Protection Agenc...
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