Letter to the Future: 2216

Dear Future Student from the Year 2216,

The year is 2016. My class’s assignment was to write a letter to you about climate change. My focus was background of when people in America started to become concerned about the environment around them and what they can do protect it and save it. The book Silent Spring (1) by Rachel Carson started the whole movement of people becoming aware of the environment and links between pollution and public health. Published in 1962, this book exposed the dangers of pesticides, but she went into more depth about one than the other, DDT (2). Rachel Carson was a scientist and performed experiments to find proof that pesticide DDT was harmful and toxic. Her finding was that DDT was capable of killing hundreds of insects, bald eagle populations decrease because of the thinning of eggshells, can cause cancer, and reproductive and developmental effects. Over two million copies were sold and as a result the legacy of this book created a new public awareness that humans can hurt the environment around them.

This new public awarness for the environment helped create Earth day.  In the 1970s, Earth Day was created and is celebrated on April 22. Earth Day’s goal is to help spread awareness of environmental issues going on throughout the world. The attitude of Earth Day, in the 1970s, was very much of a hippie vibe, which is very relaxed and and all about emotions and loving the earth. Today, in 2016, Earth Day is very much still a nationally recognized day but doesn’t have as much emotion in it like it once was. Earth Day now, 2016, is focused on Global Warming and pushing for clean energy. The Earth Day Network (4) now uses the internet to help gain activist to help with spreading environmental awareness. The year 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, and the Earth Day network is preparing to announce new resourceful set of goals to shape the future. Maybe these goals (not yet known by me) has shaped or impacted your life.

Earth Day lead to creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) (5), which the agency created the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. Under the Clean Air Act EPA is required to regulate the emission of pollutant that can endanger people’s health, also requires local government to monitor and enforce the Clean Air Act’s regulations.The Clean Air Act (6) help cuta hazardous component of smog by more than 25% since 1980. Smog is a mixture of fog and hazardous pollutants, which is not health for people to be breathing in. The Clean Air Act is slowly getting rid of the use of the chemicals that affect the hole in the ozone layer. The Clean Water Act (7) is designed to protect all water, small streams to huge rivers, from pollution. The goal of the Clean Water Act benefits eligible drinking water, public health, recreation, and wildlife. This Act has been successful in lowering the pollution in rivers and lakes. Still in 2016, there is still a big place of pollution is waste water treatment plants and factories. These pollutants can still find there way to some type of water source. The Endangered Species Act (8) passed in 1973, concerns for animals and native plants becoming extinct. The Endangered Species Act is to protect and recover endangered species and to protect their ecosystem they depend on. "Endangered" means a species that as in danger of extinction and "threatened" means a species is likely to become distinct in the near future. From this Act Fish and Wildlife Service(FWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service(NMFS) was formed. FWS is responsible for terrestrial and freshwater organisms and NMFS responsibility is to mainly marine life such as: whales, and anadromous fish(salmon). All species, both plants and animals, can become endangered or threatened.
I hope you found this letter very beneficial to you. Even though the "background" information is in the distant past for you, I still think its very important to know why America as acts such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. These acts were the starting off point for america to become more environmental health and respect the earth we live on.
Sincerely,
Victoria Spera

Earth Day Poster from the year 2016 (9)

(1) National Resource Defense Council (NRDC): "The Story of Silent Spring".Their mission is "NRDC works to safeguard the earth—its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.We combine the power of more than two million members and online activists with the expertise of some 500 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild." I learned from this website is the story of Silent Spring. In this article it told me what the book did which was to expose the danger of the pesticide DDT. This article gave me information about what the book is about and what legacy the book left America with.

(2) Pesticide Action Network (PAN): This website gave information about DDT and what is was used for and the dangers that came with it.  "Pesticide Action Network (PAN) is a network of over 600 participating nongovernmental organizations, institutions and individuals in over 90 countries working to replace the use of hazardous pesticides with ecologically sound and socially just alternatives. PAN was founded in 1982 and has five independent, collaborating Regional Centers that implement its projects and campaigns."

(3) Toxipedia: This website gave a over view of what DDT is and what is to do the environment, like the bald eagles. "Our goal is to provide scientific information in the context of history, society, and culture so that the public has the information needed to make sound choices that protect both human and environmental health."

(4) Earth Day Network: "Earth Day Network’s mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilize it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future generations."

(5) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): "The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment." I used the article "1988 article on NEPA: Past, Present, and Future" this article showed me what the article made and accomplished.

(6) Union of Concerned Scientist: "The Clean Air Act"- "At the Union of Concerned Scientists, we put rigorous science to work to build a healthier planet and a safer world." The article helped explain to me what the Clean Air Act did to help improve the air around us.

(7) American Rivers: "Protecting the Clean Water Act"- "American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature."

(8) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Endangered Species: "Endangered Species Act"-"Protect endangered and threatened species, and then pursue their recovery" This source gave me information about what the Endangered Species Act does to help animals and wildlife.

(9) Czech Village/ New Bohemia: Main Street: "To encourage economic growth and promote preservation by working together toward a shared vision through implementation of the Main Street Four-Point Approach." I used this website to get the Earth Day picture from 2016.