by Tom Ewing
April 10, 2025
Fifty years ago, President Gerald Ford signed a proclamation declaring March 21, 1975 as Earth Day. This statement continued national efforts to sustain the momentum begun five years ago, when the first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. Bicycles have always been part of earth day celebrations. In Colorado, more than two hundred cyclists rode from Boulder to the state capitol in Denver, while New York City governor Nelson Rockefeller rode a bicycle (the wrong direction, judging by this photograph) to indicate support for Earth Day 1970.
President Ford’s proclamation declared: “The earth will continue to regenerate its life sources only as long as we and all the peoples of the world do our part to conserve its natural resources. It is a responsibility which every human being shares. Energy problems have heightened our growing awareness of the interdependence of our natural resources. We must work together to solve the environmental issues associated with the proper use and preservation of those resources. Through voluntary action, each of us can join in building a productive land in harmony with nature.”
This statement was consistent with mainstream environmental awareness in the 1970s in the United States and globally. Attention to the growing costs of pollution led to the passage of landmark legislation on clean air and water to mitigate the damage already done and prevent future impacts. Conservation was presented as a way to restore balance between the preservation and exploitation of natural resources. Ford’s reference to “energy problems” connected environmental awareness to the “oil shock” of the early 1970s, which brought America’s dependence on foreign energy to urgent public attention.
The Bikecentennial was directly connected to the growth of environmental awareness in the 1970s. Concern about air pollution and rising gasoline prices encouraged the use of bicycles as an alternative to automobiles. Bicycling also encouraged connections with the natural environment, as the route of the Bikecentennial intentionally brought cyclists out of cities and suburbs into rural parts of the country. Finally, the underlying appeal of Ford’s proclamation, the need to work together, shaped the ethos of the Bikecentennial as a way for cyclists to engage with local communities along the route.
Fifty years later, environmental issues have become even more urgent, as global warming brings extreme weather and climate emergencies. Along Route 76 in Virginia, the eastern sections, close to Yorktown, face long term threats of rising sea levels, coastal flooding, and urban heat islands. Farms, vineyards, and other agricultural businesses are adjusting to rising temperatures, periodic droughts, and growing cycles. Most critically, communities along rivers and streams in the mountains of Appalachia face the threat of sudden floods resulting from intense rain storms. In Damascus, the intense rains in September 2024 associated with Hurricane Helene brought tremendous losses to families, businesses, and organizations in this designated Appalachian trail town. More than eight months later, the damage to Route 58 (the original route) and the Virginia Creeper Trail (an alternative rails to trails route) have resulted in detours for cyclists projected to last into the spring of 2025.
As we look ahead to 2026, when we will recognize the 50th anniversary of the Bikecentennial and the 250th anniversary of the United States, key words from Ford’s 1975 proclamation should continue to resonate in our thinking about the environment: responsibility, regeneration, awareness, interpendence, and harmony.
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