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From the Himalayas to Newt Gingrich, the 'tree-huggers' prevail

Nepalese people hug trees during a mass tree hugging on World Environment Day in Katmandu, Nepal, Sunday, June 5, 2011.

On Earth Day, we take a look back at the rocky history of "tree-huggers." The term originated in the 1970s in the Himalayas and was later co-opted by American politics in the 1990s. Now, environmentalists are reclaiming the word.

(Image credit: Niranjan Shrestha)

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