EARTH DAY AT 25

This is the 25th anniversary of Earth Day, which is set aside to foster awareness of the environment and to promote activities that enhance the natural world in which we live.

It is debatable whether or not Earth Day has had any real impact, but there is little doubt that the annual observance has made millions of Americans more aware of their surroundings.

Over the last quarter-century there has been an increased understanding of how the smallest insect and the largest rain-forest tree are part of a worldwide system that makes life on Earth possible.

There remains, however, among some environmentalists a zeal that goes beyond the practical and overlooks the basic notion that man can use what nature produces without destroying it.

It is that balance which is at the heart of Earth Day. If current theories are correct, nature has, on its own, produced far worse environmental calamities than humans could ever imagine.

And yet the world survives.