The Justice League has Superman, the X-Men have Professor X, and Recycla and Enviro-Girl have Gaylord Nelson, as their legendary environmental superhero leader. Born in 1917 in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson enjoyed a childhood spent outdoors, playing in the lakes, woods and meadows of his home state. By age 14 he’d aligned himself with Progressive Democrats in Wisconsin and began political activism–followed by law school, service in the U.S. Army, and eventually becoming Governor of his state before moving on to the U.S. Senate.
Conservation issues remained near and dear to his heart his entire life. Gaylord Nelson is best known for founding Earth Day in 1970. He rallied an estimated 20 million people to participate in that first Earth Day, and in his speech in Madison, Wisconsin that year he declared his vision, adhered to almost 30 years later:
“Our goal is an environment of decency, quality, and mutual respect for all other human creatures and for all living creatures. . .The battle to restore a proper relationship between man and his environment, between man and other living creatures will require a long, sustained, political, moral, ethical, and financial commitment- -far beyond any effort made before.”
Gaylord Nelson fought the good fight for his planet until his death in 2005. His victories include:
* creating the Outdoor Recreation Acquisition Program, which set aside one million acres of Wisconsin park land, wetlands, and other open space, and was funded by a penny-a-pack tax on cigarettes
* spearheading preservation of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail corridor
* helping create a national hiking trails system
* sponsorship or co-sponsorship of the Wilderness Act and the Alaska Lands Act
* protecting the St. Croix Wild and Scenic Riverway and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
* advocating for consumer protection, including prescription medicines
In 1995 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “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,” said the proclamation from President Clinton. He also received the Only One World Award by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1992 and the Ansel Adams Conservation Award in 1990.
Enviro-Girl and Recycla whip off their straw hats and give a big “Sah-looht!” to Gaylord Nelson–a legendary leader in the Fight to Save the Planet.
