Editing Earth Day (section)

===New York City===
In the winter of 1969–1970, a group of students met at [[Columbia University]]  to hear Denis Hayes talk about his plans for Earth Day. Among the group were [[Fred Kent]], [[Pete Grannis]], and Kristin and William Hubbard. This group agreed to head up the New York City activities within the national movement. Fred Kent took the lead in renting an office and recruiting volunteers. The liberal Republican mayor of New York, John Lindsay, saw the environment as an issue that could help unite his then-troubled city.  Moreover, he viewed the environment as a progressive wedge issue that would position him as clearly distinct from President Nixon's ultra-conservative "Southern Strategy,"<ref name="Phillips-1969">{{Cite book |last=Phillips |first=Kevin |title=The Emerging Republican Majority |date=1969 |publisher=Arlington House |isbn=978-0870000584 |edition=1}}</ref> in a struggle for the soul of the Republican Party. He became fully engaged in supporting the event, and he delegated many of the talented young staff who had been drawn to his administration to help as well.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}} 
[[File:Ed-Muskie-at-Earth-Day-1970-web.jpg|thumb|150px|left|U.S. Senator [[Edmund Muskie]] speaking at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia on Earth Day, 1970]]

"The big break came when Mayor Lindsay agreed to shut down Fifth Avenue for the event. A giant cheer went up in the office on that day," according to Kristin Hubbard (now [[Kristin Kuhns Alexandre|Kristin Alexandre]]). "From that time on we used Mayor Lindsay's offices and even his staff. I was Speaker Coordinator but had tremendous help from Lindsay staffer Judith Crichton." Mayor Lindsay completely closed down Fifth Avenue to traffic from E. 14th Street to West 59th Street (Central Park)—more than 2 miles—and 14th Street between 3rd and 7th Avenues.<ref name="NYC-Parks-2021">{{Cite news |title=History of Earth Day & Arbor Day in Parks |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/earth-day-arbor-day#:~:text=For%20the%20first%20Earth%20Day,into%20an%20%22ecological%20carnival.%22 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |publisher=nycgovparks.org}}</ref> An estimated one million participants took part—right in the nerve center of the nation's communications complex.{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}

In addition to shutting down [[Fifth Avenue]], Mayor [[John Lindsay]] made [[Central Park]] available for Earth Day. In [[Union Square, Manhattan|Union Square]], the ''New York Times'' estimated crowds of up to 20,000 people at any given time and, perhaps, more than 100,000 over the course of the day.<ref name=":33AB">{{Cite news |last=Lelyveld |first=Joseph |date=April 23, 1970 |title=Mood Is Joyful as City Gives Its Support |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/04/23/archives/mood-is-joyful-as-city-gives-its-support-millions-join-earth-day.html |work=The New York Times |page=1}}</ref> Since [[Manhattan]] was also the home of [[NBC]], [[CBS]], [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]], ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', and ''[[Newsweek]]'', it provided the best possible anchor for national coverage from their reporters throughout the country.<ref name=":33CC">{{Cite web |date=January–February 1990 |title=The Spirit of the First Earth Day |url=http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/earthday/01.htm |access-date=April 22, 2010 |website=U.S.Environmental Protection Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328214819/http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/earthday/01.htm |archive-date=March 28, 2010 }}</ref>