Earth Day: Why Bother?
Ah, Earth Day!
A time when the world joins hands to celebrate the rise of eco-awareness and spread the message across the globe!
Or – a time for folk to switch off the lights for a bit, plant a tree and smugly pat themselves on the back that they’ve fixed the planet for another year! (Global warming is still going on? Must be all those slackers who left their lights burning).
So, which of these is the Earth Day we know? Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, the latter is more and more likely as time goes on. That’s the thing about novelty: it only happens once. The impact gets softer, the message gets diluted, and after a while it’s less of a wake-up call than a Snooze button.
Our friends at Grist are so worried about Earth Day and the law of diminishing returns that they’ve formulated a pithy new philosophy. It goes like this:
Screw Earth Day.
Earth Day raised the eco movement to the next level. It bridged the gap between government and grass-roots, and it was influential in the development of the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.
But it’s been running for nearly forty years. It’s not an Event anymore. And Grist believes that because it’s just a yearly festival, it does precious little to change our habits – and anyway, what difference can one day (especially Earth Day) really make?
“One day is for amateurs. We can do better.”
It’s not about looking green. It’s about being green. Eco-friendliness isn’t a New Year’s resolution – it’s discovering a new lifestyle, bit by bit. It’s about lasting change, not gimmicks. For example, why not make Earth Hour last all year round so we can truly rediscover the dark?
If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve got over a year’s worth of eco tips for you right here, but we can also recommend having a read of Grist’s brilliant and award-winning Wake Up And Smell The Planet, available for free here (free registration required) – and you’re even entered to win tickets to Bonnaroo.
How has Earth Day changed your outlook on the environment? And is Earth Day worth saving?
Image: James Jordan
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4 Comments
April 14th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Mike, I only wish Hallmark made Earth Day cards so I could send them to family and friends. Actually, I do like the education component to Earth Day at schools. My kids have learned much over the years as teachers draw attention to the plight of the planet, get everyone composting and recycling. I told my cynical husband last night that changing even one person’s mind can make a difference. I think if we focus on neighbors first, and then the globe, we could make a difference! Thanks for the post. Are we allowed to say screw?
April 14th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
You make a good point. I agree with you, that it is important to acknowledge the fact that we cannot surmount the climate crisis by changing our ways on only one day or within one hour. However, it is awareness of the important ideals these events support that continues to be relevant. I still don’t think this awareness has reached critical mass, a point that is hopefully growing closer, yet remains the final obstacle before REAL change can be made. The best time to start is right now!
Ryan Arroyo’s last blog post..Garden 2.0?! EasyBloom Plant Sensor Product Review
April 14th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Luanne : yep, I think we’re allowed to say “screw” in this case.
My defence is: Grist started it! (My Inner Child now feels triumphant). 
I agree, it still serves a purpose if it gets people to re-examine their habits, which it does. But is there a better way to shake people up? And I’ll admit, the dimming of cities for an hour is something that grates me with me personally when the rest of the year they’re absolutely ablaze with light.
I’d prefer it every every year, on every Earth Hour, every city switched off a small percentage of its nighttime lights…and *never switched them on again*. That would be real change.
April 14th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Thanks for calling by, Ryan. :
Interesting point: is Earth Day still pushing societies towards a green “tipping point”, beyond which everyone’s hugely, exponentially more aware of green issues?
I’d certainly like to think…but I’m not sure I do. I’m with Grist in thinking Earth Day’s impact is falling off enough to really matter in the long run, in a way that hinders this kind of change…
Take the election of President Obama and the green principles he wears on his sleeve. If the last 5 Presidents had all had explicitly eco-friendly agendas, this wouldn’t be such a ground-thumpingly exciting time for the environmental movement, and it wouldn’t be acting as such a wake-up call to much of America. It’s the contrast that’s so effective here.
Same with Earth Day, my gut tells me.
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