Cases / Finance, funds and markets · United States · 1970–1990
Earth Day 1970 seed money came from a senator, two unions and a foundation
Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.
Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Companies sponsored city events for the 1990 Earth Day anniversary, and the national board rejected a donation of more than USD 4 million. The case concerns who paid for the early Earth Day movement and when corporate sponsors appeared.
What?
Earth Day's 1970 seed money came from a senator, two unions and a foundation; companies sponsored the 1990 anniversary. EPA Journal
Where?
United States EPA Journal
When?
1970 (first Earth Day) and 1990 (anniversary) EPA Journal
Who?
Gained
- Monsanto, Peabody Coal and Georgia Power — sponsored 1990 city celebrations EPA Journal
Lost
None on recordHarmed
None on recordWhy?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Corporate sponsors and industry advertising at city events; the central message was lifestyle change. EPA Journal
6 of 6 questions answered from the record
What happened
The record, in order.
The first Earth Day's seed money came from Senator Nelson (USD 15,000), the UAW (USD 2,000), the AFL-CIO (USD 2,000) and the Conservation Foundation (USD 25,000), on a budget of about USD 190,000 (EPA Journal, 1990).
Corporate sponsorship appeared at the 1990 anniversary, when Monsanto, Peabody Coal and Georgia Power sponsored city celebrations and the nuclear and chemical industries placed advertisements (EPA Journal, 1990; Tokar, 2015).
The national board rejected a corporate donation of more than USD 4 million, with a budget of USD 3 million (EPA Journal, 1990).
In court and with insurers
Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.
Lawsuits and rulings
No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.
Insurers
No insurer decision on record.
What we don't know
Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
Record
- Insufficient Reported but not verified: the book '50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth' sold five million copies, and its author later withdrew it (no link).
- None on record Not stated in the sources reviewed: the 1970 corporate donors, if any, beyond the seed money listed.
Did the harm stop?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Who paid?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
Sources
Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society✓ Researchers
Press and investigations
- The spirit of the first Earth DayEPA Journal · 1990
Researchers
- Institute for Social Ecology article on Earth Day sponsorshipInstitute for Social Ecology · 2015-04-21
Connected cases
Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
- Bayer buys Monsanto for $66bn; four firms hold most seed and pesticide sales Global · 2018
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- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Seller of dicamba and Xtend seed; defendant in the Bader case
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- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Company fined over the lobbying file
- Glyphosate safety review retracted over undisclosed Monsanto ghostwriting Global · 2000–2025
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Company whose staff authorship was not disclosed
- Greens report: parts of German glyphosate assessment copied Monsanto file Germany · 2015–2025
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Company whose licence file and studies are at issue
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- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Client of Harrison's firm; published a parody of Carson
- Jury awards $250 million punitive damages over dicamba drift, later overturned United States · 2020–2022
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: defendant
- Monsanto admits illegal pesticide use in Hawaii and pays $10.2 million United States · 2019
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Company that admitted the violation
- Monsanto faces US bribery charge over Indonesian environmental review Indonesia · 2005
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: company charged with bribery
- Monsanto/Bayer PCB and Roundup insurance suit v AIG United States · 1967–2026
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Original insured; PCB and Roundup defendant
- PCB pollution and the Monsanto Anniston settlement United States · 2002–2025
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Defendant in the Anniston and later PCB settlements
- Roundup litigation, settlements and legal shield (Bayer/Monsanto) United States · 2009–2026
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Roundup maker; defendant
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- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Petitioner; defendant in the state suits
- US Supreme Court ruled that replanting patented seed infringes the patent United States · 1996–2013
- Monsanto (Company) — here: 1990 anniversary sponsor; there: Plaintiff in Bowman; won