I am changing my tactics slightly with this post, in that I am announcing Earth Day early, so you can actually plan to do something or call in sick or whatever strikes your fancy. If you needed more warning than this, well, that’s your problem – get a decent calendar next year.
So tomorrow, get out and stomp up and down on our planet, just to remind to yourself how useful it is. Or if you want to tackle the advanced appreciation, go to a park, down to the river, up to the mountaintop, go exploring, frolic in the flowers (or the snow – whatever applies,) spit on an SUV, shut down a factory, or piss off a Republican. Plant a garden, introduce the kids to nature, follow a wildlife trail, figure out where that stream ends up. This day is set aside expressly for these purposes, and it is your solemn duty to fulfill your destiny. I don’t think this can be stressed enough.
Or, you know, whatever – no biggie. It’s a handy excuse, but as far as I’m concerned, every day is Earth Day (which means no one is, or something – yes, I get my ideology from Pixar movies; can you think of a better source?) I find it kind of silly, like World Humanist Day – it smacks of the absolute minimum recognition that can be extended, one day that people can do something useful for extending our resources or slowing the abuse of our home, then everything back to normal again the next day. Still not quite as stupid as a National Day of Prayer, but not a lot better either.
There should be something local to you that you can participate in, and if not, then you have something you can arrange yourself for next year. The vast majority of activities that I’ve seen are aimed at kids for some reason – they’re not the ones who make policies or leverage their profit margins, so involving adults seems much more effective. Finding ideas takes nothing more than a simple websearch, or if you’re too reluctant to leave this site (I can relate,) you can click on any links I provide, because they always open in a new window and this page will still be here waiting.
Yet, I don’t really feel the point of Earth Day needs to be either activism or guilt – I think it’s enough to go out and appreciate the natural world, away from the things humans inflict on ourselves and then get annoyed with. Just about universally, we all appreciate sunny skies and rolling hills, the splash of fresh water and the smell of the foliage (save for, perhaps, certain kinds of pollen and spores, especially this time of year.) We tend to get away from these though, in pursuit of “a living” or convenience or even entertainment, and it’s worth setting aside some time to renew our appreciation. That’s all.
