Today is the 42nd 鈥樷��, which is being marked in and around 麻豆传媒映画in many ways. Though I haven鈥檛 found any evidence yet that the first Earth Day, in 1970, was celebrated or marked in any way in Vancouver, B.C., it did grow out of our shared Cascadian culture.
And while it鈥檚 also worth discussing how one of the world鈥檚 most famous environmental organizations (Greenpeace) came out of a West Side basement also in 1970 -- and we鈥檒l get to that in a minute -- there鈥檚 also a very real 鈥楨arth Day鈥� event happening today out in Delta that intersects with a much older history.
Residents of the old townsites of聽and Sunbury聽 with Vancouver-based environmentalists,聽, and聽 near Gunderson Slough, along the route that has been designated as the South Fraser Perimeter Road.
Though the coolest history is at the moment gently buried 鈥斅爐he oldest known in B.C., which dates back 7,000 years or more, is at 鈥斅爋ne can still find some decaying remnants of the more recent fishing past above ground, along the riverfront.
And while 鈥楨arth Day鈥� has been watered down some years with consumer-focused events, today鈥檚 鈥榥o-freeway鈥� protest in Delta really seems to echo the roots of Earth Day in the Pacific Northwest.
, Earth Day鈥檚 first national co-ordinator, grew up in the pulp town of , surrounded by the same type of natural rock-river-tree beauty we have in and around Vancouver. That natural beauty was his inspiration; the loss of it, his lament.
Hayes went East, to Harvard, and though some histories say that Earth Day 鈥榣aunched鈥� in 1970 in New York City and Philadelphia, our sibling towns in Washington State and Oregon pulled plenty of stunts that first year: ; ; .
And while it鈥檚 likely that something happened here (leave a comment below if you have a source, or are one!), it is perhaps more notable that 1970 was also the year that Vancouver鈥檚 most famous contribution to the environmental movement emerged: .
The 鈥榗reation myth鈥� 聽of the organization known for bold banner-hanging stunts and high-seas intercepts of whaling vessels has gotten a little fuzzy, but author is my nomination for definitive expert on the matter.
In his 2004 book 鈥�,鈥� Weyler lays out the genesis of Greenpeace鈥檚 first action, which was to boat to a remote Alaskan island to protest and try to halt the U.S. government鈥檚 continued nuclear detonation tests.
It came out of the mouth of a Sierra Club member on Feb. 8, 1970, when prodded by a reported to name something the environmental group might be planning. Jim Bohlen, taking a comment his wife Marie had made over coffee a few minutes earlier, said they would sail up to Amchitka and 鈥渃onfront the bomb.鈥� (.)
The rest of the Sierra Club didn鈥檛 like being unilaterally committed to that action in the press, and a subcommittee called 鈥淒on鈥檛 Make a Wave,鈥� which has formed a few years earlier somewhere in East Van.
鈥淲hat happened next would be later disputed in people鈥檚 memories and clouded by myth,鈥� Weyler wrote, 鈥渂ut over the next week a plan to sail a boat to Amchitka Island was adopted by the Don鈥檛 Make a Wave Committee and the boat was given a name, although no such boat had been committed to the cause.鈥�
The name of the boat came from an offhand comment a quiet man named Bill Darnell made at the tail end of a committee meeting held in the Fireside Room of the 麻豆传媒映画Unitarian Church on Oak Street. When one member (Irving Stowe) flashed the 鈥榩eace鈥� finger sign and said 鈥楶eace鈥� as he left, Darnell replied: 鈥淢ake it a green peace.鈥�
(Photo by Rex Weyler)
Money to buy The Green Peace came largely out of a benefit concert called 鈥溾�� that was held in .
  |
Joni Mitchell headlined along with James Taylor and Phil Ochs. Terry David Mulligan, then a radio DJ, was the MC. The evening netted $17,164 for the boat and the trip to Amchitka. A has since been issued, if you鈥檙e interested in hearing it.
Many of the planning meetings for the concert and for Greenpeace itself took place that year in the Stowe home, a 鈥樎槎勾接郴璖pecial鈥� at in West Point Grey.
The home was in the news in the Globe and Mail in March when it . (The house has since apparently been sold.)
鈥淔or a few years, the group鈥檚 original headquarters were based on the ground floor of the family home,鈥� journalist Tim Hawthorne wrote for The Globe.
The owners, Dorothy and Irving Stowe, held countless meetings in their living room. This was where the city鈥檚 anti-establishment gathered 鈥斅爎ebels and hippies, Quakers and Buddhists, draft dodgers and peace mongers, radical journalists and rainbow warriors. They came to save the planet, as well as to sample Dorothy鈥檚 cooking. Tea and cookies were served at Greenpeace meetings, while joints were passed around on the deck.
Greenpeace would later get an office at 2009 W. 4th Ave. in Kitsilano, adjacent to SPEC (), which is housed today on聽
My reflection for today? Sometimes it is only through the lens of history that our seemingly insignificant day-to-day actions 鈥斅爏haring tea, cookies, holding a concert, or just taking part in Earth Day 鈥斅燾an take on a larger and long-lasting significance.
