Reflections on Earth Day

Ok, so it's Earth day.  Every April 22nd since the 70's, there has been an Earthday.... This isn't exactly new, although it is, relatively speaking, very young compared to some of our other annual celebrations - for example, the 4th of July in the U.S. has been celebrated for over 200 years - Earth day for a whopping 38 years. 

I was born in the 70's, so you would think that I would know alot more about Earthday, but sadly, it's not the kind of holiday we're used to 'celebrating' through large displays of consumerism, so most of us are at a loss.  It's more like an annual reminder to think of something other than our own lives, work, bank accounts, etc.... how many people do you know who like to do that?   

Christmas is like that too: peace on earth, goodwill toward man - at least for this 24 hour period on December 25th.  You can be mean to someone tomorrow when you return that plasma t.v. at your local department store without a receipt. Ok, so maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get the point.

The original Earth Day concept was the brainchild of Gaylord Nelson, a US Senator of Wisconson and the concept was to start a grassroots demonstration for the environment.  Here's a clip I got from the Wiki article I read this morning:

Five months before the first April 22 Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30 1969, the New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the rising tide of environmental events:
"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweepeing the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam..."

So here's my question:  What happened to all those grass roots people?  Am I just imagining things, or did this whole 'sweeping the nation' thing escape my attention?  I learned about Vietnam in school, I've seen movies and pictures, the feeling about it was (and still is) a very young scar.  However, I have spoken to quite a few people this morning, and truth to be told, not one of them knows it's Earth Day. 

Can you imagine forgetting Easter?  Christmas?  A loved one's birthday?  I can't even use the excuse of "well it's only been around for 38 years...."  I've been around for less and I remember my birthday, my kids birthday, I remember all the other holidays.... What gives?   Sure, we've had concerts in the park and alot more education on global climate, but our current problems in the U.S. are starting to mount - water shortages, increase in destructive weather, pollution, suburban sprawl, etc.  I don't think I'm being overly negative here, I can see that America is using more not less.  And we're complaining about it too!    Anyone talk about gas prices today?  I know I did. 

I think Earth day needs a custom.... You know, a tradition of sorts.  Christmas, we put up the lights, Thanksgiving we eat a turkey, birthdays we get stuff.... But none of these things seem to fit with the entire point of Earthday.  We celebrate things by consuming more things.  Wouldn't it be appropriat to choose NOT to consume something? 

We can treat this like a New Years Eve thing where we all choose one "thing" to really cut out, like fast food, 1 hour of tv a day for this year, less paper at the office, recycling, that type of thing. 

I went to the Earth Day "official site" and it said the best thing to do today is to call my local representatives to bring attention to climate change.  That's a start, I suppose.  But I think that having a more personal and sacrificial gesture is in order.  Events and volunteer opportunities are great, but how about just shutting off the water?  The T.V.? The computer?  How about REALLY making an effort to recycle some of your stuff? 

Here's a cool little site that I was sent to this morning, and I love the concept.... The Freecycle Network is a website where you can meet up with other people to trade stuff.  Not buy stuff, trade stuff.  "It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills". 

How's that for a start this year?  Get reused stuff.  Don't go to the store and get more of what you don't need.  Save your money.  Save the gas.  Save the desk that some guy doesn't have room for and save the planet in the process.  One less purchase at the discount store means one less product processed, one less piece of product to toss out. 

Here's the deal - All these factories and cars and homes and conveniences run on the fuel we provide through consuming it.  We fuel it all -  And as long as we keep fueling it, it will continue to grow, like a tumor.  Pretty soon, the only thing that there wil be room for is all the stuff we keep producing.  All I'm asking everyone to do it go to this site and sign up for Earth Day and the next time you think you need something, go there first.  That's it. 

Anyway, that's my two cents.  I hope I get change back from you this time.  Comment, comment, and please comment.

Namaste
Thea