Celebrate Earth Day, Come On!

"It's your world: if you don't like it, change it."
-Mikki Halpin, author of The Geek Handbook


If you currently consider yourself an environmental crusader, then the fact that the infamous Earth Day (April 22nd) is quickly approaching upon us shouldn't be anything of a surprise to you. However, just because you are aware of this upcoming occasion, it doesn't automatically mean you know how to celebrate it or what it's even about, yes?

Let me enlighten you, first and foremost, on Earth Day's origins and main purpose. Basically, it all began on April 22nd, 1970 when approximately 20 million Americans expressed their concern for the environment's problems to the government. This great outpour resulted in Congress being forced to close down due to the masses.

By May of 1971, a whole quarter of the nation changed their perspective in favor of caring for the environment while there were only 1% of these individuals back in 1969. "In the Gallup polls, public concern over air and water pollution jumped from tenth place in the summer of 1969 to fifth place in the summer of 1970, and was perceived as more important than 'race,' 'crime,' and 'teenage' problems" (Whitaker).

With all of this including the scientific facts of an excess in global warming looming upon the public's conscience, it's no wonder that Earth Day of 1970 made such an impact on America to becoming a day to praise our Earth for homing us. Seriously, without Earth, there'd be no humans. Even if it's just for one day, be sure to take advantage of this day to be extra environmentally-friendly. Our planet deserves at least that much.

So it's Earth Day, thirty-nine years later, and what do you do? Stay home all day, so you don't shed any carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere? Perhaps, but staying home all day wouldn't be any fun now, would it? What you can do, however, is look up local Earth Day events in your community, so that when you do plan on leaving the house, you're traveling to a considerable distance that can be manipulated through your city's or town's public transportation; therefore, you are decreasing the amount of pollution expended into the atmosphere.

You can also try contacting your school's Environmental Club (Or better yet, make your own!) and see what they're planning in honor of this momentous occasion. Or maybe you're more of a lone ranger, and would prefer to appreciate the Earth on your own. Why not plant a tree at your local park; educate yourself on Environmental Science to better understand what the issues are about; recycle all of your old clothes (This will work towards decreasing CO2 emissions from those air-polluting planes and trucks shipping clothes for people to purchase when they can get them from local thrift stores with such better eco-benefits); move your home thermostat 2 degrees up so as to use less energy (And money!) in your home; always acknowledge how much waste you're creating as far as food packaging, hair products, make-up containers, clothing, and so on.


Although, we should be considering our environment everyday as we make those daily decisions such as whether or not to walk to the local grocery store instead of drive, choose organic and in-season produce, turn off your lights when you leave the room, and the list goes on. Earth Day is just a way to get people motivated, as I hope this article has gotten you motivated to find ways to get involved for every year's main eco-friendly holiday since 1970; so make sure to mark your calendars!



For a list of more interesting Earth Day activities, check out these websites:
http://holidays.kaboose.com/earth-day/
http://www.wikihow.com/Celebrate-Earth-Day

Also, check out this epic documentary, "Earth", from Disney. Scheduled to debut on Earth Day. Looks pretty sweet. :]


Peace & Love, Everyone.
-Dr. Green T

Bibliography:
Whitaker, John C. "Earth Day Recollections: What It Was Like When The Movement Took Off." History. Aug 1988. United States Environmental Protection Agency. 27 Mar 2009. http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/earthday/10.htm.