Earth Day Message From EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson

Lisa P. Jackson is part of Change.org's Changemakers network, comprised of leading voices for social change.

Imagine if the air was so dirty that you could see the pollution you were breathing. How would you feel if you picked up the paper today and read that the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland was so coated with oil slicks and industrial waste that it caught fire? What would you do if you could smell the sewage and pollution from your local lake?

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — one in every ten Americans at the time — stood up to demand a cleaner and healthier environment. This first Earth Day was one of the largest grassroots demonstrations in our history — and it worked. By the end of the year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had been created and Congress had passed the Clean Air Act. Two short years later, the Clean Water Act became law, followed by decades of new innovations that helped to more than double the size of our economy while actually cutting pollution.

The vast environmental improvements made these last 40 years have benefitted every single American. We are now healthier and our communities are stronger.

Talk about changemakers.

Now it’s our turn. We have an entirely new array of environmental challenges to face, from climate change to ensuring the safety of chemicals in our products, our environment and our bodies. We have to expand the conversation — and the protections — to new communities, and work for environmental justice. And we have an economy to rebuild — one that must have stronger foundations and broader environmental sustainability.

You can help us meet all those goals, and you can get started today. Here are some things you can do to be a part of the 40th Earth Day:

• Green Service Projects. Visit www.Serve.gov/EarthDay to find a green service project in your area.
• Join the “It’s My Environment” video project. Film yourself taking action to protect the environment, and then share it with us to be part of the video. Learn more at www.epa.gov/earthday/video.
• Pick 5 for the Environment. Commit to five actions you will take to protect the environment. Go to www.epa.gov/pick5 to get started.

The first generation of Earth Day leaders taught us what is possible if we pull together. We can literally change the world. We owe it to them, and to future generations, to continue this work. It is my hope that 40 years from today, people will look back and remember our generation as one that helped build a better future for everyone. Let’s get started.