When you talk about Earth Day to a variety of people, it seems it is somewhere between one of those crazy commemorative days that you read about in the newspaper (April 22 is also National Jelly Bean Day) and a national holiday.
Like a nominal commemorative day, no one has the day off of work or school. Some people scoff at it or ignore it. Like a national holiday, preachers and teachers talk about it. People generally know about it and pay attention to it. Magazines, newspapers and television stations all feel the need to buff up their green credentials and present articles and programs that talk about the Earth, pollution, nature and climate change. Some have called it the largest secular holiday in the world, celebrated by half of a billion people worldwide.
While it is always good to pay attention to them, Earth Day isn't really about big environmental issues or the celebration of the masses. Earth Day is about the difference an individual can make. Earth Day is about promoting environmentalism on the personal level; increasing your awareness of environmental issues, and understanding the impact of your actions. Earth Day is about learning about the things you can do that can make a difference the other 364 days of the year. Earth Day is a day of community celebration and individual education.
I saw a cartoon in the blog I posted a link to below, in which the planet Earth is looking for a diagnosis from a doctor. "I am afraid." says the doctor, "you've got humans." Earth Day is about making that cartoon a little less true.
Happy Earth Day! I would have gotten you a card, but I was afraid it would just end up in the landfill.
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