On Earth Day 1970 twenty million Americans displayed their commitment to
a clean environment. It was called the largest demonstration in human
history, and it permanently changed the nation s political agenda. By
Earth Day 2000 participation had exploded to 500 million people in 167
countries.
The seemingly simple idea a day set aside to focus on protecting our
natural environment was the brainchild of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of
Wisconsin. It accomplished, far beyond his expectations, his lifelong
goal of putting the environment onto the nation s and the world s
political agendas.
A remarkable man, Nelson ranks as one of history s leading
environmentalists. He also played a major role as an early, outspoken
opponent of the Vietnam War, and as a senate insider was a key player in
civil rights, poverty, civil liberties and consumer protection issues.
The life of Nelson, a small town boy who learned his values and
progressive political principles at an early age, is woven through the
political history of the twentieth century. Nelson s story intersects at
times with Fighting Bob La Follette, Joe McCarthy, and Bill Proxmire in
Wisconsin, and with George McGovern, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey,
Russell Long, Walter Mondale, John F. Kennedy, and others on the
national scene.
Winner, Elizabeth A. Steinberg Prize, University of Wisconsin Press
"