EARTH DAY

In January 1979, the most disgusting thing I ever saw happened in the New York City subway.   At the far end of the Canarsie Line's Eighth Avenue passenger platform, I saw hundreds (yes I said hundreds) of filthy, greasy rats rampaging through twenty, uncovered trashcans.

I scampered away from the carnage.  But as appalled as I was, I did not write an angry letter to the Transit Authority, I did not call the Mayor's office or alert my congressman.  I just accepted this horror and remembered to avoid the far end of the station.

Similarly, in the 60's, factories (enabled by loop holes in the law) were seemingly unchecked as their waste fouled our air and water. 

IT WASN'T SO LONG AGO THAT ELIZABETH NEW JERSEY LOOKED LIKE THIS AND STUNK WORSE.

Another major contributor that spewed poisonous emissions into our air was leaded gasoline and poor auto exhaust systems.  I was not blind to these problems but I never thought to complain.

IT IS NOT AN URBAN LEGEND...THE CHICAGO RIVER INDEED CAUGHT FIRE.  IN THE LATE 60's,  FUELED BY THICK, OILY, INDUSTRIAL SLUDGE, THE CUYAHOGA AND BUFFALO RIVERS ALSO CAUGHT FIRE. 

Saving the planet was never taught in my schools. However, in my youth, for reasons other than cleanliness or saving resources, the older boys on my street scoured the neighborhood in search of deposit bottles. I never imagined the cash aspect, two-cents or a nickel at a time, off-set the embarrassment of rummaging through curbside trash. So whether they became future ecologists or ingenious money makers, I left that racket to them.

INTO THE 1970's, STORE'S PAID FOR RETURN BOTTLES.  SOME PLACES GAVE UP VALUABLE STORAGE SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE THE CRATES.  OTHER STORES TOOK THE ADDED PRECAUTION OF KEEPING THE EMPTIES UNDER LOCK AND KEY, TO PREVENT THEFT.

I was dealing craps (1980), to a man about my age at the Stardust Casino. In our conversation, I learned just how much of a commodity high volumes of beer, wine and soda bottles could be. This player's dad ran beverage distributorship and his territory stretched from Chicago Illinois to Milwaukee Wisconsin.


This enterprising lad noticed that one state paid a dime more than the other for deposit bottles. So he used his dad's clout to borrow a semi once a week and to have his father's clients, (in the cheap deposit state's stores, bars etc) exclusively sell their clutter of bottles to him. Then he crossed into the more expensive state and cashed them in for over a thousand dollars profit.

I couldn't help but admire the guy. After all, until that gimmick dried up, he was working one day a week and making fifty grand...clear while indirectly forwarding the cause of a clean environment.

Smokers create a different problem.  They hate being singled out as societal pariahs due to the real and unfortunate effects of second hand smoke. Common sense would lead us to believe that these individuals, (often our family, friends and coworkers) would bend over backwards to avoid being further targeted because of littering.

SOMETIMES I THINK SMOKERS ARE SO DELUSIONAL THAT THEY THINK THEY ARE ENTITLED TO "MARK THEIR TERRITORY." DURING MY THREE TIMES A WEEK POWER WALK, I CAN'T GO FAR WITHOUT BEING INSULTED BY TONS OF TOBACCO RELATED TRASH.

In a related case, in 1976, near Roseburg Oregon, I saw another even worse side-effect of smoking. While driving through a huge burnt out forest, I saw an over-sized sign that read; A CARELESS SMOKER CAUSED THIS FOREST FIRE. 

SMOKERS WERE IDENTIFIED AS THE CULPRITS AS FAR BACK AS THE 1920's.

The overwhelming majority of unnatural forest fires are caused by careless smokers, most notable those who flick lit cigarettes out car windows.

IN 1925, THE FIRST PARK RANGER FIRE TRUCK,  (YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK).


Before I moved to Las Vegas, (1978), there was a notorious landfill, in Staten Island's Arthur Kill section.   For years, the garbage stench was so intense that even on a winter day with the car windows closed, the distant noxious odor was nauseating. It was so bad that when I was in the nearby shopping mall, there was a stinky, unhealthy, gray smog cloud...inside the building.

A few days ago, this subject of ecology came to mind while channel surfing.  That's when I came across director John Ford's 1948 classic, "FORT APACHE."  This classic movie was the first of his cavalry trilogy that also included, 1949's "SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON" AND 1950's, "RIO GRANDE."

IN ADDITION TO ITS HEADLINERS, HENRY FONDA (left) AND JOHN WAYNE (right), "FORT APACHE" FEATURED SHIRLEY TEMPLE, VICTOR McLAGLEN AND WARD BOND. 

Fort Apache was loosely based on Custer's last stand at Little Big Horn and therefore was one of the first westerns to be sympathetic towards Native Americans.  John Ford was also famous for his cinematography.  In these movies, his magnificent exterior scenes were filmed on location in Monument Valley, in Utah, near Four Corners, (where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah all meet)).  In so doing, Ford pays homage to Indians by acknowledging their honor, spirituality and respect for the land.

Ford goes out of his way to glorify as many breath-taking angles as possible.

NO SINGLE PHOTO CAN CAPTURE THE TOTAL GRANDEUR OF MONUMENT VALLEY.  IT REMAINS ON MY BUCKET LIST BECAUSE IT KILLS ME THAT I HAD SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES (EVEN AS RECENTLY AS 2009) TO GO  BUT NEVER MADE IT.

In Fort Apache, it's an incredible paradox that Ford takes us on the awe inspiring photo safari only to let us down. This part of the plot includes John Wayne's character and Pedro Armendariz (as Sergeant Beaufort) trekking far into the wilderness to meet the great Apache Chief, Cochise, to negotiate a truce.  The long journey doubles as a grand photo shoot of the Four Corners region.  This tribute is climaxed when the two stop to admire, "HORSESHOE BEND."

GORGEOUS, (GET IT,  GORGE-US...IT'S A GORGE) HORSESHOE BEND IS A MEANDER IN THE COLORADO RIVER, (DOWNSTREAM, THAT MAJESTIC WATERWAY ERODED-OUT THE NEARBY GRAND CANYON).  HORSESHOE BEND IS LOCATED HALFWAY ACROSS ARIZONA'S NORTHERN-MOST BORDER.  IT IS A MILE DRIVE FROM THE TOWN OF PAGE AND THE OBSERVATION DECK IS AN EASILY ACCESSIBLE , SHORT WALK FROM THE PARKING LOT.

The unfortunate irony is, Wayne and Armendariz are so taken by this view that they have a drink of whiskey to commemorate their experience.  Then Wayne shatters the moment by throwing the bottle, down into the pristine landmark.  I wanted to spit on John Wayne...what was Ford thinking?

THE "KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL" FOUNDATION ORIGINATED IN 1953.  ONE OF THEIR FOUNDERS COINED THE PHRASE, "LITTERBUG" IN 1947.  ONE TV AD CAMPAIGN FROM 1963 INCLUDED THE SLOGAN, "EVERY LITTER BIT HURTS," AS WELL AS THE CHARACTER; SUSAN SPOTLESS.  BUT ON EARTH DAY 1971, THEIR USE OF IRON EYES CODY, ("THE above CRYING INDIAN") BECAME A LASTING SYMBOL FOR ENVIRONMENTALISTS.

In September 1983, (wow, thirty years ago) my wife Sue and I drove from Las Vegas to Yosemite National Park.  We entered from the Nevada side.  From that entrance, it's a seventy mile drive, seemingly straight up!  The twisting mountainside road makes you gasp in amazement as each curve reveals more stunning scenery.  Just when you think that you couldn't possibly see anything more dazzling, you enter the Shangri-la known as Yosemite Valley.

DON'T LET ME GET IN THE WAY OF TRUE BEAUTY!  THAT ROCKY CRAG ON THE LEFT IS THE SIGNATURE ATTRACTION OF THE PARK; EL CAPITAN.  ON THE RIGHT IS THE PICTURESQUE, BRIDALVEIL WATERFALL.

In Yosemite, I had an epiphany and realized how fragile our environment is.  People like John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt are heroes for dedicating themselves to the preservation of nature's bounty and establishment of the national park system.

AT THE HALF DOME OBSERVATION DECK, I FELT LIKE I WAS ON TOP OF THE WORLD, (HALF DOME NOT PICTURED).

We spent three days in Yosemite and felt like we should have stayed there a month.  It's inconceivable that today, we still have to explain the necessity of preserving these riches, by maintaining our planet.

IN THE MARIPOSA GROVES, YOU CAN WALK THROUGH THE GIANT SEQUOIA FOREST.  THE PARK RANGERS ARE QUICK TO STOP PEOPLE (ME) FROM TRYING TO TAKE THE COLOSSAL ACORNS HOME AS SOUVENIRS.

At Yosemite's main concession stand, sequestered away from the normal trashcans, I saw separate bins for various recyclables, (I soon learned that it was an early experiment to see if the public would enthusiastically participate).  My first reaction was that it was absurd to think people would seek this place out, lug their crap beyond the convenience of regular garbage cans and then further waste time by categorizing something like bottles by the color of the glass.  That meant that the "tree-huggers," expected the same folks who discarded bottles, cans etc...when they could've gotten paid for them...now expected them to go out of their way...for free...seemed ridiculous.

Happily, I was proven wrong.  The recycling campaign has been accepted for a long time and I feel deep down that it serves a great purpose while reminding us of our responsibility to others and the earth.

IF WOODSY OWL DOESN'T MOTIVATE YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING, I'LL SIC SMOKY THE BEAR ON YOU...RIGHT AFTER HE WAKES UP FROM HIBERNATING.

Since being in Eden-like Yosemite, I have done my best to avoid littering, conserve water and energy, maintain my car's clean emissions and recycle paper, plastic, metal and glass. I must confess that I don't actually "celebrate" Earth Day, (earlier this week April 22nd), but I feel good about my contribution to our precious environment and encourage others to do the same.

EARTH DAY ORIGINATED IN 1970.  TODAY, IT IS OBSERVED IN 192 COUNTRIES WITH COORDINATED EVENTS THAT SUPPORT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION.

I say it's never to late to start recycling, be conscientious, don't litter and in general, respect the planet.  Hopefully you won't need the disgusting image of rats taking over, to entice you to get started.