Above: Members of Coronado Rotary participate in beach clean-up. Date unknown.
Celebrating Earth Day in Coronado
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we're looking back to the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Coronado High School students participated in the first Earth Day by hosting programs about pollution to raise awareness about the issue and by starting an Ecology Club. Below are two newspaper articles that talk about that first Earth Day.
Earth Day coming! Students tell about it
from Coronado Journal, April 16, 1970
Pollution is a real and prevailing menace. It is manifested in many forms: smog, water pollution, fallout, pesticide dangers, and noise pollution. Some of these problems come from an ever-increasing humanity. Demographers estimate that by 2000 there will be approximately 7.5 billion people teeming across this planet’s surface. The difficulty of instilling effective conservation is so overwhelming that the individual invariably succumbs to apathy.
A program will be presented on April 22, at Coronado High School, to combat this apathy. Coronado is not free from the gnawing dangers of pollution. The specifics an individual can accomplish to alleviate conditions of pollution, especially in Coronado, will be given through a series of special reports and films by students.
The program, headed by Jim Rosania and Robert Ronimus, employs around one hundred students in its scope. Some of these energetic people have conducted a poll about Coronado. Most of the rest participate directly in the presentation April 22, through lectures and panel discussions. The problem of pollution is divided into fifteen categories. Tim Beede heads the group discussing pollution of natural resources; Clodaldo Barrerra leads the session discussing how attitudes and thinking processes of society have gotten us into the present state of pollution; Ray Perez has the AIR POLLUTION group; Tony Phillips has Food Supply problems; Dari Snyder handles the tragedy of starving millions; Bridget Blair heads the Welfare Question; Ron Bateman directs industrial pollution; Ahn Nguyen has the psychological effects of pollution; Rick Tugend gives the lecture on sewers, storm drains, and garbage; Guy Lichty gives the talk on water resources; Peggy Hopkins and Bill Harris directs Religion; John Grove and Kevin Tucker sponsor thermal pollution; and finally there is a panel discussion.
Pollution is a disease stemming from humanity; it is up to mankind to cure it.
On April 22, 1970, an attempt to accomplish part of this giant undertaking will be initiated by a portion of the human race in Coronado. It will be hoped that the others will take note.
Coronado Ecology Club grows from Earth Day beginnings
from Coronado Journal, November 5, 1970
For some people April 22, 1970, or Earth Day, was tlys beginning and end of their concern with ecology. But for many Coronado High School students, teachers, and community members, it was just the beginning of a movement that has developed into the Coronado Ecology Club.
These persons have realised the seriousness of the problems facing the environment and have formed an interest group to do something about them. The group will be structured somewhat along the lines of the Sierra Club, with emphasis on conservation and ecology. The club, sparked by Coronado High School students, is well underway as a city-wide organization. Its young members hope it develops into an active community effort.
At the present time about 115 members are involved. They are beginning work on such projects as recycling aluminum cans and possibly glass bottles, establishing a bike trail, learning about gardening without use of chemicals, the water pollution problem, campaigning in Coronado on behalf of saving the open spaces (Proposition A), and restoring Cleveland National Foreat.
Besides the work projects, there will many educational and "fun" activities such as hiking, camping trips to Baja and the back country, rock hounding and possibly mountain climbing.
The group was interested in the formation of a sanctuary in South Bay and in establishing a bicycle trail to Imperial Beach but discovered that the Coronado City Council shares these interests and has taken all the steps possible to work toward these projects.
Community members are urged to join in this project.
