LECTURE: The History of Earth Day

On April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans gathered across the country to demonstrate against the environmental and health impacts of over a century of industrial development. The movement inspired OSHA, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Environmental Education Act, and a new way of thinking about living within our landscape. Fast forward 50 years: even though we seem to have made progress with air and water pollution, we didn’t foresee the environmental impacts of plastics. Where do we stand today with regulation on the use and manufacture of plastics? And what can we do as individuals to positively impact the future?

Presented by Donna Acerra, Professor of Communication, and Deirdre Hannan on April 21, 2024 at 1pm in the

Barnette Education Center at the National Museum of Industrial History.