Preserving the legacy of Bay Area Action’s environmental work from 1990–2000 and beyond.
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Voting Earth Day
In 1992, many people found it ironic or even laughable when President George H.W. Bush referred to himself as the “environmental president.” This sentiment stemmed from a perceived gap between his environmental rhetoric and actions. While his administration achieved significant milestones, such as the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and participation in the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, critics highlighted inconsistencies, including insufficient action on climate change and other environmental issues during the latter part of his presidency. These mixed signals led to skepticism about his environmental commitment.
With this in mind, BAA called on citizens to observe Earth Day 1992 as a Voter’s Earth Day. Since it was an election year, people were urged to focus on legislative issues and on support candidates who truly stood for environmental reform. Several articles in the 1992 newsletters focused on legislative and initiative means to protect the environment.
BAA member Michael Tiemann arranged to have a voter registration message precede every movie at the Century 10 theaters in Mountain View. Tens of thousands of movie-goers saw the slides, making the connection between environmental protection and our responsibility to vote.
Following Earth Day, the non-partisan Campus GreenVote campaign rented a desk in BAA’s offices, aimed to focusing student energy on the November elections.
There were a number of Bay Area events including:
City of Palo Alto environmental fair at City Hall Plaza.
Berkeley Eco-Motion Parade and eco-fair at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. The theme was "energy."
San Jose environmental fair at Plaza Park, featuring information booths, solar and electric powered vehicles, children’s activities, ethnic dancing, music, and food.
San Francisco all-day People’s Earth Day at Bayview-Hunters Point, with a strong focus on environmental justice.
Environmental booths at Serramonte Shopping Center in Daly City.
Eco-fair at Heather Farms Park in Walnut Creek featuring a walk-through a rainforest, finding homes for 50 wild horses, Native American pavilion, business panel, music, food, and speaker.
Santa Cruz Eco-Fair at San Lorenzo Park featuring a bike-athon, speakers, music, and environmental booths.
Marin County Eco-fair with “Rock for Recycling,” booths, kid’s comer, vegetarian food, and speakers.
Foothill College had several events from April 20-24.
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