Maggie Koerth-Baker is a guest blogger on Boing Boing. A freelance science and health journalist, Maggie lives in Minneapolis, brain dumps on Twitter, and writes quite often for mental_floss magazine.
National Geographic News has a great little slideshow up today, featuring photos taken on the first Earth Day, back in 1970. They're calling it "Bell Bottoms and Gas Masks", but "Saving the Planet in Double-Knit Polyester" would also be a good title.
The information that goes along with the slideshow is fascinating, particularly if you've ever wondered what happens behind-the-scenes of a national-scale political movement. It's a little awe-inspiring to see the pics of thousands of people on the Mall in D.C. and then realize that it was all put together by nine people with a $125,000 budget. Oy.
But I think the photo that stood out the most to me was this one, taken the day after Earth Day.
So there's your cynical, cautionary tale for the day, kids. As you get up to Earth Day antics today or this weekend, do remember that what you leave behind for the cleanup crews and the landfill matters every bit as much (if not more) than the fact you attended the rally to begin with.
Photo by Bob Daugherty/AP, posted under fair use.
