It all started with trash in the woods. It was the summer of 1970 when I instigated a litter cleanup at camp, after seeing our beloved forest despoiled by careless hikers. It was a powerful moment for me, feeling that even as a child I could make the world a little better. It set me on a lifelong path of environmental advocacy. 

My budding environmentalism did not come out of the blue. Earlier in 1970, before heading off to summer camp, something remarkable happened that made us all grapple with our impact on the Earth. 

On April 22, 1970, 20 million people gathered around the U.S. in what was then, and remains today, the largest secular day of protest in the world. The first Earth Day arose from a decade of growing alarm about our environment, punctuated by choking smog in America’s cities, waterways so toxic that they frequently caught fire, and the shocking revelation of Rachel Carson’s seminal work Silent Spring that – chemical pesticides were literally wiping other species off the face of the Earth. Today, over 1 billion people around the globe participate in Earth Day events. 

Fifty-four years after the first Earth Day, we can celebrate some remarkable progress, thanks to landmark laws like the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts. It took half a century, but today most Americans (with some unconscionable exceptions) don’t fear the air we breathe and the water we drink. Unfortunately, with near daily reminders of the ever-worsening climate crisis, we’re not popping the champagne cork. 

Driving everything from massive human displacement to mass extinction, climate change is — in scope and scale — nearly beyond human comprehension. Moreover, it defies straightforward political and technological solutions that have been achievable with air and water pollution. That’s because climate change is embedded in nearly every aspect of human society, from our energy, housing and transportation sectors, to how we produce food and consumer goods, and extending deeply into our financial system. 

Climate change is, you might say, an Everything Everywhere All at Once problem. Sadly, Michelle Yeoh can’t save us from this one. But collectively we can be the superhero who saves the day if we all start thinking and acting as if Earth Day is Every Day. As the successors to the original Earth Day say, “It’s not a day, it’s a movement.”  

My wish for this Earth Day is that Chautauqua becomes the premiere example in America of Earth Day Every Day thinking. While this may seem audacious, when inspirational leaders describe you as “the most American thing in America” (Theodore Roosevelt) and as “one of those places that helps define who we are and what we believe in” (David McCullough), the pressure is on to deliver when it comes to one of the biggest challenges our world has ever faced. 

The good news is that Chautauqua is already exhibiting Earth Day Every Day thinking in so many ways. Here are four examples, starting with the lifeblood of our community, Chautauqua Lake. 

If you want to see Earth Day Every Day thinking in action, just take a stroll around Chautauqua’s grounds. Thanks to the strong leadership of our Buildings and Grounds team, you’ll see dozens of rain gardens, bioswales, vegetated buffer zones and permeable pavements throughout . These work every day to slow, absorb, and clean stormwater runoff before it enters our lake. 

Chautauqua has hosted dozens of scientists, faith and thought leaders, policy experts, authors, artists, musicians, and political figures who have brought a wealth of diverse perspectives to environmental issues. Tens of thousands of people had been informed, challenged, and inspired by leaders such as Stewart Udall, Sylvia Earle, Al Gore, Jane Goodall and E.O. Wilson. 

If you visit Chautauqua this summer (…sorry, WHEN you visit Chautauqua this summer…) you will see Earth Day Every Day thinking in action through programs every week of the season (stay tuned to our June climate blog for a full schedule of climate change  events). 

Fifty-seven years before the first Earth Day, a public meeting was held on August 7, 1913, to elect Louise Igoe Miller as the first president of the Chautauqua Bird and Tree Club, what today is the Bird, Tree & Garden Club (BTG). The BTG was started, “for the purpose of adding to Chautauqua’s uplifting influences a concrete expression of the altruistic principles of the conservation movement.” That mission carries on today where Earth Day Every Day thinking unfolds throughout the summer in BTG’s daily educational programs and tours focused on improving, protecting, and conserving the natural environment — native plants, wildlife and Chautauqua Lake. 

Finally, the Chautauqua Property Owner’s Association (CPOA) has long been a stalwart advocate for the protection of Chautauqua Lake, and in recent years has made significant contributions to the sustainability of Chautauqua’s campus. CPOA erected Chautauqua’s first water bottle refill station on Bestor Plaza and led efforts to make all outdoor lighting energy-saving and dark sky compliant LED fixtures. Thanks to CPOA it’s Earth Day Every Night when you can experience the magic of the Milky Way above. 

All of you reading this are how we make Earth Day happen every day at Chautauqua. Together, to borrow from Theodore Roosevelt, let’s make that kind of thinking “the most American thing in America.”