Earth Day activities attract many
By United Press International Hundreds of thousands of Americans took part Wednesday in demonstrations to keep the earth livable.
It was Earth Day, an occasion for Americans of all shades of belief to unite in a determination to stop the spreading pollution of the earth, waters and atmosphere which, some scientists have warned, threatens the very existence of life on this planet.
Congress was closed down while senators and representatives spread across the country to address mass rallies.
Thousands of colleges, universities and high schools took an active part, with the gasoline-burning automobile a major target of attack of many campuses.
Students blocked the four main gates of Syracuse University and manned barricades at Iowa State University to keep cars out.
In Ripon, Wis., about 350 school children took merchants up on an offer to pay one cent apiece for discarded cans. The merchants expected to pay about $100.00. But the kids turned in so much junk the final bill was $250.54.
Martin Wolterding, 25, led demonstrators who paraded about 20 pounds of very dead fish, plus a long-expired octopus, in front of a power company plant in Coral Gables, Fla. Wolterding wound up in jail for violating the city's sanitary code.
Earth Day in Portland, Ore., began with the wedding in a park of two couples, one couple clad in flowing white gowns, by a Yogi bhajan.
Indian sitar music accompanied an "Apology to God" on the banks of Lake Mendota on the University of Wisconsin campus.
John Smith, an oilman of Raceland, La., snorted at the proceedings.
"The kids campaigning for clean air are polluting their minds with marijuana," he said.
New York led the nation's cities in demonstrating mounting concern over the threat of pollution. The city's Union Square was made spotless by about 300 persons, aged 8 to 80, who showed up at dawn. Then an estimated 250,000 persons converged on the square to listen to speeches, watch a stage show, and stroll on nearby 14th Street, which was closed to traffic.
Gas masks were sold out in Omaha, Neb., because students throughout the city chose to observe the day by wearing them.
High school students around Cape Girardeau, Mo., and other communities went on litter-collecting expeditions along the highways.
There was a "dead orange parade" in Miami, a "survival march" in California, "a festival of death" in Boston, and, at Southeast Missouri State University, a mock funeral to "symbolically bury the earth under a pile of trash."
Although the President took no personal role in the observances, the White House sent word that he "feels the activities show the concern of people of all walks of
Apr. 23
1970 KANSAN 5
NICE, France (UP1)—The city of Nice banned midnight bathing from its beaches Wednesday in a move to clear the sands of "vagabonds and beatniks." The beaches will be closed from midnight to 6 a.m.
The inspiration for Earth Day came originally from Sen. Gaylord Nelson, D-Wis., a longtime battler for conservation; Rep. Paul N. McCloskey, Jr., R-Calif.; and the student-oriented, Washington-based Environmental Teach-in Inc. By the time the day arrived, these sources were almost forgotten.
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New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller signed into law a new Department of Environmental Conservation and dedicated a bicycle rack under the capital steps.
There were some participants who were less than enthusiastic about the event. Michael Grosso, executive vice president of the Fifth Avenue Association in New York, went along with the idea by closing the street for two hours, but said "all this circus type activity will accomplish nothing."
And in Earth, Tex., Earth Day was like any other day. "It just slipped up on us," Chamber of Commerce President Terry Martin said. "We just failed to do anything special about it."
The Michigan House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill to give private citizens the right to take legal action against polluters.
"MAROONED"
Businesses across the country have seized the occasion to announce anti-pollution programs, such as a $36 million Scott Paper Co. project and pledges by the Texas Gulf Sulphur Co. and Sun Oil Co. to embark on expensive research developments.
The appeal of Earth Day was such that even representatives of firms accused of being major polluters, such as Chicago's Commonwealth Edison Co., took an enthusiastic part in the teach-ins and rallies.
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Nixon seemed to be the only public figure in the country not making a speech. The air over the cities was thick with oratory. McCloskey said, "Everyone I've talked to is making a speech somewhere."
life over the dangers to our environment."
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (UPI) The University of Missouri at Columbia has projected that by 1990,85 per cent of the state's estimated 6.2 million residents will be living in cities.
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