PLAN TO DO SOMETHING "GREEN" ON APRIL 22nd

Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. This year, we'll
recognize April 22 as Earth Day 2008. Environmentalism is
nothing new. Below are 7 people who were influential in
trying to make out Earth a better place to live.

.........

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist and
poet. Emerson was a leader of the transcendentalist
movement, the philosophies of which helped lay the
groundwork for modern environmentalism.

2. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American writer,
naturalist, and philosopher. Another transcendentalist
leader, Thoreau wrote about his reverence for the natural
world and his belief that humans and nature share a divine
spirit.

3. John Muir (1838-1914), American naturalist, explorer, and
writer. Muir was a founder of the Sierra Club, an
organization dedicated to protecting the natural environment
and wildlife. His environmental lobbying also contributed to
the establishment of Yosemite National Park and Sequoia
National Park, both located in California.

4. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th president of the
United States. Roosevelt worked with U.S. Forest Service chief
Gifford Pinchot to set aside more than 220 million acres of
public land during his administration, more than any
previous president.
5. Lucy Braun (1889-1971), American botanist and ecologist.
Braun's extensive research on plants was a major impetus in
establishing plant ecology as an academic discipline. Her
commitment to conservation led to the eventual preservation
of more than 10,000 acres in Ohio.

6. Rachel Carson (1907-1964), American marine biologist.
Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring helped prompt a
widespread ban of the chemical pesticide
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and raised awareness
of the negative effects of pesticides.

7. Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997), French marine explorer.
Cousteau's films and writings drew attention to the plight of
the world's oceans.

FROM ENCARTA-MSN