APRIL 22ND IS EARTH DAY Senator Breslin : Celebrate Earth Day and Protect Our Environment

(Albany, NY)  Senator Breslin (D-Delmar) reminds New Yorkers that April 22nd is Earth Day and encourages everyone to make a commitment to protecting the planet, ensuring clean air and fresh water for generations to come.

“Protecting the people of New York goes hand-in-hand with protecting the environment in which we live and I encourage all of us to do our part to protect our environment,” said Senator Breslin.   “When we take the environment – and the clean air and water it provides – for granted we only hurt ourselves. By working together to Go Green, we can protect our neighborhoods and communities, as well as create countless job and economic development opportunities in green technology to propel our economy through the 21st Century.”

In 1970, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin declared April 22nd as Earth Day.  A promoter of environmental issues, Nelson struggled for years to thrust the evidence of environmental degradation into the political mainstream.  He  organized a nationwide grassroots demonstration to allow people throughout the country to speak and express their concern for the land, rivers, lakes and air.  This event brought the nation together and led to the creation of Earth Day.

In the 2010 legislative session, the Senate Democratic Conference sponsored and passed through the Senate a package of environmental laws to enhance New York’s stature as a “green” leader in a 21st Century economy, and implement protections to reduce waste and pollution, making New York a healthier and more vibrant state for generations to come.

Included in the package were four bills that have been signed into law:
• Prohibiting the manufacture, distribution and sale of child care products such as pacifiers, bottles and sippy cups that contain Bisphenol, a chemical found to be detrimental to children’s health.
• Limiting pesticide exposures for school and daycare aged children by prohibiting certain outdoor, non-essential applications on playgrounds, turf, and athletic or playing fields.
• Instituting a rechargeable battery producer and retailer sponsored take back program at no costs to consumers.
• Creating a cancer mapping program that overlays reported incidences of cancer with environmental facilities.

“Nothing is more important than protecting the health of New Yorkers and the environment where they raise their families,” said Senator Breslin. “I hope to see a continuing effort from everyone to do their part this Earth Day, and truly every day, to create a cleaner, more sustainable New York.”

For more information on how to make a difference and live green, go to the Department of Environmental Conservation website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/337.html.

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