And here in New York, an environmentalist marked Earth Day Wednesday by swimming the Gowanus Canal, one of the most polluted waterways in North America. The Environmental Protection Agency has declared the canal a Superfund site, saying years of runoff, sewer outflows and discharge from industrial plants left it roiling with heavy metals, coal tar wastes and other contaminants. Christopher Swain spent nearly an hour swimming in the canal wearing a protective suit. He said his goal is to accelerate efforts to clean up the canal.

Christopher Swain: “This is a no-joke, big, difficult clean-up. So, what I’m here to say is, even though it’s discouraging and even though it’s difficult, let’s find the courage to do it anyway, whatever it takes. I’m also saying, let’s define clean-up differently. Let’s not clean it up part of the way. Let’s not make it sort of not bad. Let’s make it sparkle. Let’s make it a diamond. Let’s make it a jewel. Let’s make the standard of clean safe enough to swim in every day.”