Throughout this week the press has remarked on the change of tone between the observance of Earth Day today and a year ago. There are no mass meetings and marches now. No boisterous crowds, no buried automobiles. The focus of Earth Day II is the individual - the responsibility each of us bears to move beyond awareness to action that will return man to a balance with nature. Individuals and institutions alike must realize an untamed river is not simply a channel for barges, a source of hydropower, or a convenient sewer.
Open land is something other than a potential subdivision.
A forest is a heritage - not just a stand of marketable timber. The wilderness is more than a source of renewal and a last resort, it is yesterday untrammeled by the technology of today. More so than ever before, government is meeting its responsibility to enhance and protect the environment. Some say it is about time and I agree. It has come for us all.