[Mb-civic] CBC News - FOUNDER OF EARTH DAY DIES

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FOUNDER OF EARTH DAY DIES
WebPosted Sun Jul  3 17:39:17 2005

---Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. politician who founded Earth Day 35 years ago
and helped create the modern environmental movement, has died.

Nelson, who was a former governor and U.S. Democratic senator from
Wisconsin, died of cardiovascular failure on Sunday at his home near
Washington at age 89.

A conservationist long before it became fashionable, Nelson's
achievements included helping to create hundreds of thousands of hectares
of protected wetlands and parks in Wisconsin. As a senator, he backed
federal legislation that preserved the 3,380-kilometre Appalachian Trail.

Nelson was best-known, however, for starting Earth Day, which attracted
about 20 million participants when it debuted on April 22, 1970.

The day continues to be celebrated around the world, as people clean up
trash, plant trees and hold events to raise environmental awareness.

In 1995, 15 years after Nelson left office, he was given the Presidential
Medal of Freedom for his environmental contributions by then-president
Bill Clinton.

"As the father of Earth Day, he is the grandfather of all that grew out
of that event: the Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Air Act, the
Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act," Clinton said in a
statement at the time.

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