SSUSH 24 E

Protecting the environment became important to many Americans.  Rachel Carson wrote a book called “Silent Spring”in 1962 about exposed dangers to the environment. The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and almost 10,000 schools and 2,000 colleges set up events to raise awareness of environmental issues. Earth Day is still celebrated each year. President Nixon created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set restrictions on pollution, to conduct environmental research, and to local governments in the cleanup of polluted sites.