It'll Be Earth Day Tomorrow, Too
Posted by Zoe's Dad at Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9:31 AM and is filed under Earth Day,Carbon Footprint,Environmentalism 
Intended to inspire an awareness of and an appreciation for the Earth's environment, Earth Day is celebrated today at it has been each April for the past thirty eight years. A grassroots campaign initiated back then served as a wake up call of sorts to help people to realize the impact of our actions on the planet and give the environment a national spotlight. A movement was born and today Earth Day is celebrated not only in America but in countries all over the world. But are we really doing right by our dear Mother Earth?
People take to the streets celebrating, organizing rallies, staged marches on political institutions, speeches, concerts and festivals. One can don their favorite "Be Nice to Your Mother" t-shirt pack up the ice chest and Styrofoam plates with plastic sporks, maybe even the hibachi, and head off to the park with thousands of other like minded enlightened to listen to your favorite bands perform their favorite tunes at ear bleed decibels all the while trampling Spring's offering of new green grass and hopeful flower buds discarding used cups, plates and napkins along the way because someone neglected to pack trash bags. These same people will spend forty minutes looking for the recycle bin for their beer cans and in that same time span flick half a pack's worth of Marlboro butts on the ground.
Zoë's school had a poster campaign and a dress down day in honor of the event. Innocuous enough I suppose, yet I hardly believe that any of the paper used for the posters will be recycled (I know the three rejected ideas in our house were not). And the money collected from dress down privileges. Well, that's going towards the purchase of microphones for the auditorium. A much needed item, mind you but in my advanced and cynical age I tend to view amplified noise as not very environmentally friendly.
So it's Earth Day. Again. Like the saying goes, Every Day is Earth Day, and unfortunately I'll have to delay my observances. As much as I'd like to reduce my impact, if even for the day, I'm off to fire up every piece of power equipment I own because Spring has sprung and my yard is rapidly overtaking me. Sorry, Mom. But you need a haircut!
Anyone doing anything special for Earth Day?
People take to the streets celebrating, organizing rallies, staged marches on political institutions, speeches, concerts and festivals. One can don their favorite "Be Nice to Your Mother" t-shirt pack up the ice chest and Styrofoam plates with plastic sporks, maybe even the hibachi, and head off to the park with thousands of other like minded enlightened to listen to your favorite bands perform their favorite tunes at ear bleed decibels all the while trampling Spring's offering of new green grass and hopeful flower buds discarding used cups, plates and napkins along the way because someone neglected to pack trash bags. These same people will spend forty minutes looking for the recycle bin for their beer cans and in that same time span flick half a pack's worth of Marlboro butts on the ground.
Zoë's school had a poster campaign and a dress down day in honor of the event. Innocuous enough I suppose, yet I hardly believe that any of the paper used for the posters will be recycled (I know the three rejected ideas in our house were not). And the money collected from dress down privileges. Well, that's going towards the purchase of microphones for the auditorium. A much needed item, mind you but in my advanced and cynical age I tend to view amplified noise as not very environmentally friendly.
So it's Earth Day. Again. Like the saying goes, Every Day is Earth Day, and unfortunately I'll have to delay my observances. As much as I'd like to reduce my impact, if even for the day, I'm off to fire up every piece of power equipment I own because Spring has sprung and my yard is rapidly overtaking me. Sorry, Mom. But you need a haircut!
Anyone doing anything special for Earth Day?
See, and here I was thinking the perfect thing to do for Earth Day would be to plant a tree, or to plant SOMETHING!
I started my Earth Day celebrations early. Oh, and no, I DO NOT believe in Global Warming, it's a myth to con you out of yet even more tax dollars and to give the government even more control over individuals. Ahem, sorry for that interuption.
But anyway, I planted 4 new plants on my balcony and I saved a caterpillar I found in a building and saved. I'm going to photo document it's cacooning process - so ya I'm celebrating Earth Day!!
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Frigga
Wow, I'm glad you told me that global warming was a con. Here I was naively believing what 99% of the earth's scientific community are telling me. Thank goodness you know better than all of them.
I'm guessing that the earth is flat and Darwin was a sham too yes?
Sorry for hijacking your post Ed, but that attitude really irritates me.
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Wow, congratulations Frigga! You made Dan mad. I didn't think that was possible.
I didn't even know Earth day was near. Maybe we'll go for a hike or something.
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I was going to be a smart arse but Dan's frightened me.
I'm going home for a hug.
With the lights off.
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We're not doing anything special for Earth Day. We've spent the last year or so trying to make our home more energy efficient and working on reusing and recycling. I don't remember if it was today or yesterday but my last standard light bulbs blew out and I replaced it with a CF. Does that count? Dan won't yell at me will he? Though, it was kinda sexy with that accent. Send him over to my blog...I've been naughty.
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Hmmmm...the comments got me wondering...do you think Al Gore celebrates Earth Day? Would that redeem him from the amount of carbon dioxide he has released into our environment with all his global warming rhetoric? Too bad all that hot air won't fuel his jet. He'd have it made.
I'm a devout recycler. Today and everyday whether it's Earth Day or not. And my husband just started carpooling with a new co-worker that lives near us.
Happy Earth Day!
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Jeez, I never thought of it that way. Plastic sporks and all. I am shamed to admit, I did nothing out of the ordinary for Earth Day :S
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Oh yeah. I am trying to improve, but unfortunately daughter got the flu (again!) and I spent the day nursing her instead of the Earth. So I'll just continue on trying to be more Green each day.
Oh, and Dan? I agree with you 100%... bravo.
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Dan,
I'm sorry, I've never seen 99% of the scientific community agreeing on something to then be called a "fact". I always thought that in science a fact is only a fact if it's 100% certain and able to be proven. In tests that repeatedly come out with the same conclusion. That is how FACTS are proven. Not by consensus. I don't argue that the Earth goes through natural warming and cooling phases. I do argue that your SUV could possibly have anything to do with it. If you would like to debate this more I'm more than willing, however we should probably give Ed back him space. Feel free to come by any of my blogs, or to email me at friggaSapples@yahoo.com . I don't mean to irritate you, I'm only searching for the FACTS.
Thank you.
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I walked my kids to and from school, and then I didn't bathe them. See? I was conserving.
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Dan and Frigga--Don't make me pull this van over. I'll do it!
MGM--My son asked me yesterday--"Dad, why don't we recycle?" (He's 5) I am ashamed!
Huckdoll--I did not go to any great lengths either, but my yard looks nice.
Maureen--Sorry about the bug. Hope she's better.
Momo Fali--My kids, on the other hand, have had a bath every day this week. (Warm weather makes for stinky kids!)
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Frigga
I try not to get into arguments on the net, it rarely change's either person's mind and so therefore is ultimately pointless. So I'll pass thanks.
If you're not careful though I'll set ">http://rabbitconfusedwithraisins.blogspot.com/"> my brother on you who works in the field and knows a hell of a lot about it.
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I wrote a post on my blog.
I'm a greenie by default (grew up in OR). They recycle everything including toilet paper, I'm just saying...
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We used cloth diapers for the first 10 months on Zoe. Could not--would not--ever consider reusable TP.
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I spent my Earth Day working in the yard, too. Hey, I wiped my carbon footprint.
Frigga, what's your take on moon landings?
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I'm helping a group of people clean up a state road that runs through our town tomorrow. It's part of a county-wide "Clean Sweep" day, and people raise money for local charities while they clean. The team I'm on is raising money for the local food bank, which is an awesome and much needed service. I often wonder, though, why these events don't raise money to directly benefit the cause at hand? Not sure why, but still gonna do my part. Hope the lawn cutting was fun Ed!
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Fun?--I got poison ivy!! But the yard looks nice.
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I am the resident recycling station manager... the amount we recycle continues to outweight our garbage.
Now on the other hand, if I would just stop with the convenience foods, we probably wouldn't have so many boxes to recycle. Geez.
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This is sad but one of the major hinderances for any recycling project around our house is that there is no recycling pick-up in our little village. We'd have to haul everything 20 miles to the nearest recycling facility. I know--it's an excuse.
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