Celebrate Earth Day (04/21/08)

Tomorrow is a relatively new holiday, Earth Day. It all started in 1970 when Senator Gaylord Nelson instigated the first nationwide environmental demonstration. The state of the environment has been in and out of the news since then.

I find it interesting that after most Earth Day demonstrations it takes hours to clean up the debris left by the participants. One would think that people concerned about pollution would take care not to pollute but that doesn't seem to happen.

Activists urge us to forsake regular light bulbs in favor of florescent ones. I tried those once and wasn't satisfied with the meager amount of light they emitted and regulated them to be used in emergencies only.

We are told to use the new-fangled cloth bags for our purchases. I have been doing that for years but only because plastic bags are evil and strew my purchases all over the floor. I did find out that Rwanda, of all places, bans plastic bags. I would think that they would have more pressing things to worry about. Environmental responsibility is not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Rwanda, or the United States either, for that matter.

I wonder if we humans really have as much of an effect on the environment as we believe. I wonder if climate change is caused mainly by our irresponsible ways or do the normal warming and cooling cycles of the planet have more to do with it? I suppose that's blasphemy coming from somebody who strives to live gently on this world.

I have a problem when I read statistics about how long it takes a plastic bag or whatever to decompose in a landfill. Landfills aren't designed to decompose anything. They are designed to contain waste, not neutralize it. Great care is taken to ensure that nothing escapes our landfills.

It would be far better to use less and recycle more. However, we live in a consumer-driven world. The commercial with the theme music of, "we want it all, and we want it now." seems to be how most of us live. Funny, I don't know what product that particular commercial is pushing.

I believe we should try to do as little harm to our environment as possible. The rampant wastefulness that characterizes this country should be a source of shame, not pride. I do not understand our president telling us to go shopping for more stuff that we do not need, nor do I intend to heed his advice although . . . there is a sale this weekend . . . hmmm.

In some respects we are so much better at curbing pollution than we used to be. In other respects we are trashing our planet at an astounding rate.

Our factories do a much better job of not contributing to pollution than they used to. But as individuals we have taken up the slack. I admit an affinity for those little plastic bottles of water. I have only bought them once and refill them but by purchasing them that one time I am encouraging the manufacture of more of them.

We seem to go to extremes with the vehicles we drive. You can find a hybrid vehicle parked alongside a Hummer. In this town you can find a beat up gas hog parked next to a horse and buggy. If that isn't a study in contrasts, I don't know what is.

I walk to work but only because I live next door. I drive all the way to Muncie to shop because I can find what I want there. I would love to be able to do all my shopping here, but the selection just isn't available.

The trick is to minimize our negative effect on the planet without sacrificing quality of life. We all pick and choose our causes.

This is the only earth we have and it is our obligation to preserve as much of its beauty and purity as possible. It is our duty not to pollute it any more than necessary.

Nature has an amazing ability to heal itself as long as we give it a chance. So on Earth Day this year why don't we celebrate by declining a sack for our purchases, walking to work, pushing for more stringent environmental regulations, planting a tree and conserving gas by staying home?[[In-content Ad]]