PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 13, 2025
In 1970, as a high school sophomore, I received permission from my parents to skip school and attend what was then the first Earth Day celebration march and protest in Philadelphia. I have vivid and cherished memories of that day, one in particular being that a U.S. senator from Maine — Ed Muskie — gave a speech! I was asked by my science teacher to lead our class in a discussion about Earth Day later that week. It is estimated that 20 million people nationwide attended hundreds of the inaugural Earth Day events, giving rise to the nascent environmental movement. And wouldn’t you know it, the Clean Water Act was passed two years later, in 1972. So, yeah! Care about climate change? Protest! ~ Harry Nelson, North Yarmouth