Opinion editor's note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here. Long ago when we were young - the dark ages! - we had no environmental protections. Factories and power plants spewed toxic smoke. Our rivers were treated like big, handy sewers. Fish kills were common and some rivers even famously caught fire! Oh, for the great old days! The first Earth Day in 1970 signaled the citizen push for stewarding instead of damaging our earth.