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Reno Earth Day - Climate Change Spurs Awareness RENO, NV (KUNR) - Lauren Siegel is econet's executive director and was pleased with the big turn out. Historically, she says, environmental awareness comes in waves that result in major environmental laws. The publication of Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring in 1962, Siegel explained, facilitated the ban on the pesticide DDT and in many ways prompted laws like the clean air and water acts. Siegel credits awareness about climate change for the big crowd Sunday, and hopes popular support translates into meaningful legislation to combat the problem.

Siegel: I think we'll see with the presidential election and the next congress, maybe carbon caps or carbon taxes to address this issue, and we'll see where we are in a few years, if we still have this kind of momentum, and people are still really excited about doing it, like is this a trend or not, but I'm happy with it right now. This is really exciting.

Mattie Melrose is a senior at UNR and an Environmental Studies major, a new area of study at Nevada. Melrose says in her four years, she's seen environmental awareness sweep the campus.

Melrose: Even just in the four years that I've been at UNR, we see this new major. I think there's a lot more interest. I definitely think that interest is coming very quickly, and that things are changing, and people are noticing and becoming concerned.

International Earth Day is April 22nd and began in 1970. The first Earth day celebration in Reno happened in 1991. Organizers say the 2008 event was the largest ever, with more than 100 informational booths, a series of workshops, and a solar powered stage featuring 7 bands.

Brian Bahouth KUNR News. © Copyright 2012, KUNR