Did you know that although the first Earth Day was founded by a U.S. Senator, its successful organization was actually coordinated by a law student? Denis Hayes, who later became an environmental lawyer, was, needless to say, preoccupied by issues other than his final exams at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in the spring of 1970.
If you are looking for a few moments of pleasant diversion during this 40th Earth Day, I recommend relaxing with a book from the Cornell University Library that celebrates the earth. Some to consider are:
- A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold;
- Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey;
- The Beauty of the Beastly, by Natalie Angier;
- Most anything by Henry David Thoreau;
- The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen;
- Never Cry Wolf, by Farley Mowat;
- And one of my favorites—Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver.
In any of these books you will find the inspiration you need to take a break from your studies and take action on this Earth Day.
Image “An Unreal View of Earth” courtesy of NASA
