Earth Day Story

I've probably told this story before, but I can't resist sharing it again.

Before Earth Day became a national holiday it was celebrated in Berkeley, CA, where I worked in the dormitories at California School for the Deaf.

We were having major problems with head lice. None of the staff had ever encountered those pesky creatures before, and we knew nothing about them, but they were driving us crazy. No matter what treatments the nurses gave the students, the lice spread, and spread. (Now I know that was partly because every week we washed all their combs and brushes in one bathtub.)

Finally one of the counselors got fed up and went downtown to the Public Health Department. They gave her something they said would certainly get rid of the infestation.

So we spent the very first Earth Day putting DDT on the heads of all the children.

Of course nobody knew back then how toxic that chemical was and it did work.

Earth Day Horror Story

Before there was a National Earth Day, that event was first celebrated locally in Berkeley, CA where I worked at the California School for the Deaf. 

The dorms were having an epidemic of head lice, which most of the staff had never even heard of before. At the school nurse's suggestion, the counselors had tried using various medicines to kill the lice, but nothing seemed to help. Probably because all the children's combs and brushes were washed in the same tub of water each week, the horrible creatures continued to infest everyone. Finally, in desperation, one of the dormitory counselors went to the Public Health Department and returned with something they had assured her would eliminate the lice.

 That's why we spent the very first Earth Day putting DDT on the heads of all the children.

 (Yes, it worked, but I'm sure nobody will ever celebrate Earth Day by doing that again.)