Happy Earth Day!
Posted by A. Caleb Hartley on April 22nd, 2008 filed in Earth Day
The first Earth Day was held in 1970, and was the brainchild of Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin. Nelson was a staunch environmentalist, and said about the day, “The objective was to get a nationwide demonstration of concern for the environment so large that it would shake the political establishment out of its lethargy and, finally, force this issue permanently onto the national political agenda.” In holding the first Earth Day, Nelson was hoping to provide unity to the grassroots environmental movement and increase ecological awareness.
Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches, and educational programs during the first Earth Day, and in July of 1970 the Environmental Protection Agency was established by special executive order to regulate and enforce national pollution legislation. Talk about a legacy – and increasing ecological awareness! I’d say Nelson was successful in his ambitions.
Since the first Earth Day, awareness and unity has only increased – the 20th anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 1990, boasted celebrations that were participated in by more than 200 million people in 141 countries. For more information about the history of Earth Day, visit The History Channel‘s webpage.
So what’s happening today on the environmental front? I read in this Sunday’s paper about some of the things that Mayor Mike Coleman in Columbus, Ohio has been wanting to see (and the results so far) in his “Get Green Columbus” program:
- Expanding recycling programs
- Cleaner-burning vehicles in the city’s fleet
- Water conservation
- Environmentally-friendly building practices
- Create a green business development plan
- Plant Trees
Columbus has not reached all the goals Coleman set out for it; however, as I have said many times before (and will continue to say until the day I die), any recognition of the need to improve our impact on the Earth is better than no recognition at all. In business, continuous improvement should be the norm – meaning become more efficient, save money, get more done with less input. It’s the same when we are talking about the environment. As long as we are continuing to recognize that the Earth is fragile and that what we do has an impact, we should continue to lessen our impact and give back to the planet that gives so much to us – every second of every minute of every day. The more that gets improved, the more likely it is that that improvement will become the norm, and more improvements can be built from there.
Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley
So what did you do today, this 38th anniversary of Earth Day, to improve yourself and the planet? What does your city do to live more sustainably on the Earth? Tell us in the comments!
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April 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Well Mr. A. Caleb, I carried my purchased out of CVS in my hands instead of accepting a plastic bag, donated some wine glasses to my local charity of choice, took in a printer cartridge to my work to be recycled, AND got one step closer to buying a house! The home inspection was today. We close May 15th and I plan on doing all sorts of happy green things in the new space – composting, using energy efficient appliances, growing my own veggies, and living in an area where we can walk to the store or the bar or the park etc. I’d say it was one large step for our household greenness.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:08 pm
@Claire:
Congrats on the house buying! Where will you now make your illustrious home?
Namaste,
A. Caleb
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Happy earth day, my daughter and I took some time to plant, tomatos, stawberrries, lettuce, cucumbers, corn, and you get the point. The only problem for me now is will any of this stuff make it to harvest? I will do my best, that is all I ask of everyone else.
April 23rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
Happy Earth day, A.Caleb…I’m did joined the 24 hours Earth day charity event at my local society and believed me this is an enjoyable and unforgettable moment…
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
@Josh: That’s all anyone can ask… but it’s so much more than most people actually give.
Enjoy your bumper crop when it is time to harvest!
@wilson: Taking action on something is always worthwhile and usually memorable – especially if it’s something you really do care about!
Namaste,
A. Caleb
April 27th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I personally thing that earth day is great for creating awareness. It didn’t get as much publicity as did the other cause with the lights. The important thing to know is that anyone and everyone can make a difference in saving the environment.
April 27th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
@Lindsay:
You’re right about the “lights out” thing. I think that got a lot of publicity because it was new and it was something easy to do. It was also specific.
Earth Day on the other hand has been around for 30+ years and is very broad-based… it can be cleaning up litter, activisting (yes, I said activisting) for bio-diversity, holding a recycling or toxic waste drive, or any of a million and a half other earth-friendly things.
It’s all about niche marketing – people want to know what they can do RIGHT NOW and exactly have it spelled out for them to make a difference, and Earth Day is more about deciding what is most important to you and what you are actually able to accomplish.
Don’t overcommit, or you’ll get frustrated when you can’t keep up – but be careful not to do to little either, or you’re not living up to your potential to do lots of good for the Earth! It’s a tough line to walk.
Thanks for the comment, Lindsay!
Namaste,
A. Caleb