From the Vault: Earth Day

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Earth day, which was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970 to inspire awareness and appreciation for the environment. In the post-Al Gore-era, going green is a mainstream concern—which isn’t to say that the battle is over at all. But the celebration used to have more fringe appeal, a wide political vision and a utopian earnestness that’s been relegated to parts of the world like the annual Burning Man festival. Here, we remember the original celebration, in all its student-activist splendor: Above, kids from UW-Green Bay (“America’s first environmental university”) enjoy the outdoors and sort recycling (bottom left), while a UC Irviner attempts to convince a townie to sign an anti-smog petition (bottom right).