The Library celebrated Earth Day 1997 with a two-day environmental film festival, April 21- 22, presented by the Science and Technology Division. More than 300 guests and Library staff, as well as classes from District of Columbia schools, gathered in the Pickford Theater to view recent films, furnished by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), about this year's theme, wildlife conservation.
Among the subjects filmed were controversies about preserving such species as wolves and grizzlies; how the dinosaurs became extinct; and a tribute to the 25th anniversary of the arrival of Chinese pandas in Washington -- film actress Debra Winger (left) retraced her journey in China, following the footsteps of explorer Ruth Harkness, who in 1936 led an expedition to study pandas.
The Library's annual Earth Day programs date from 1990. One of the goals of Earth Day 1990 was to initiate a new decade of environmental awareness to surpass that of the 1970s. The Science and Technology Division offers a continuing environmental program, including informative publications.
The fourth edition of the Library's Earth Decade Reading List, a 24-page guide to the most recent information about the environmental crisis and possible solutions, is available free from the Library of Congress, Science and Technology Division, Washington, DC 20540-4750, or by phone, (202) 707-5664. Those who have Internet access can obtain the list from the Library of Congress at http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/earth_d.html.
