Friends,
We are indeed living in a unique and challenging time in human history. Never before, in the modern age, have we faced a pandemic with such a profound, global impact as COVID-19. Although we are still very much in the initial grip of this unprecedented catastrophe, it is vital—perhaps more than ever before—that we recognize and celebrate Earth Day and its 50th anniversary.
Earth Day was founded in 1970 to raise public awareness and concern for all life on Earth, the environment, and the inextricable links between pollution and public health. Now, 50 years later, the environmental challenges we face are no less complicated, no less dire, and no less within the purview of ECS to help solve.
From batteries and fuel cells that store and convert energy to enable our mobility, to power medical devices including ventilators, to sensors that measure and assess changes in the environment and ourselves, to creating materials for protective personnel equipment, the electrochemical and solid state sciences represented by ECS and its divisions are critical to addressing the grand challenges facing the planet today and tomorrow.
I ask that all members of the ECS community join us in recognizing the importance of Earth Day 2020 and the absolutely critical role science and its advancement play in creating a more just, verdant, and sustainable world for us all.
Sincerely,
Christina Bock
ECS President
