Earth Day 2007. What are you doing?

[mehastings]

Tomorrow (April 22) is Earth Day.

Wikipedia
Responding to wide spread environmental degradation, United States Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin called for an Environmental Teach-in or Earth Day to be held on April 22, 1970. Over 20 million people participated and it is now observed each year by more than 500 million people and national governments in 175 countries. Senator Gaylord Nelson, an environmental activist in the U.S. Senate, took a leading role in organizing the celebration, to demonstrate popular political support for an environmental agenda. He modeled it on the highly effective Vietnam War protests of the time. Senator Nelson selected Denis Hayes (a Harvard student and Stanford graduate) as the National Coordinator of activities. The nationwide event included opposition to the Vietnam War on the agenda. Pete Seeger was a keynote speaker and performer at the event held in Washington DC. Paul Newman and Ali McGraw attended the event held in New York City.

According to Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council:

"The story goes that Earth Day was conceived by Senator Gaylord Nelson after a trip he took to Santa Barbara right after that horrific oil spill off our coast in 1969. He was so outraged by what he saw that he went back to Washington and passed a bill designating April 22 as a national day to celebrate the earth."

Senator Nelson stated that Earth Day "worked" because of the spontaneous response at the grassroots level. 20 million demonstrators and the thousands of schools and local communities participated.

Earth Day proved extremely popular in the United States and around the world. The first Earth Day, in 1970, had participants and celebrants in two thousand colleges and universities, roughly ten thousand primary and secondary schools, and hundreds of communities across the United States. More importantly, it "brought 20 million Americans out into the spring sunshine for peaceful demonstrations in favor of environmental reform."

Senator Nelson directly credited the first Earth Day with persuading U.S. politicians that environmental legislation had a substantial, lasting constituency. Many important laws were passed by the Congress in the wake of the 1970 Earth Day, including the Clean Air Act, laws to protect drinking water, wild lands and the ocean.

Now observed in 175 countries, and coordinated by the non-profit Earth Day Network, www.earthday.org, Earth Day is the largest secular modern-day holiday in the world.

What are you doing tomorrow? What are you doing this year to reduce waste and cut down on your "carbon footprint"?


Tomorrow my family and I will finish some yard cleanup and then head out for a picnic. Our goal is to spend the entire day outside, and with the predicted weather, it should be easy. We're going to end the day with a sunset hike to this great tower in a nearby town.

For this year, there we aren't making a ton of changes. The past two years have been filled with decisions to reduce our waste and energy consumption and there is little left that we can afford to do right now (sadly the solar pannels will have to wait). We are joining a CSA (Community Supported Aggriculture) this year, which will provide us with local produce every week. We will also be growing more of our own food this summer. We are constantly making efforts to recycle, compost and just generally cut down.

How about you?

 

[Peronel]

It is raining here. Good for the earth, as we need all the rain we can get right now, but not so good for the outside time. I will recycle the 18 empty beer bottles sitting on my coffee table (not all mine, thanks), remember to take my Green Bags when I go shopping, and leave my car at home.

This is an Earth day celebration from a few years back in my favourite comic strip, Mutts

 

[novella]

I feel bad because nobody every recognizes my own planet. Which sucks.
Anyway, assuming every one of your constituents is an earthling, isn't it somewhat selfcongratulatory? Go team. Do you wake up every morning rooting for your own family? I always wish my hub would make a couple mistakes, because he's one of those aliens that runs Universe.

 

[RobertM]

Answering this thread ('what do you do on Earth Day?') is easy.

About ten years ago, I was camping up in the Olympic Mountains near a place called Spider Lake. When I arrived, there was garbage everywhere left behind by people who had thrown a HUGE party.

I burned a lot of it in my campfire, the stuff I could do safely. The remainder I began packing into garbage bags. A Forest Service ranger happened along and we discussed the situation. He gave me some extra heavy-duty bags.

"All the buttheads who do this camp near the water..." he said. Funny observation.
So, every year I head out on a Forest Service road to the usual camp areas, such as dead-ends on Forest Service spurs, and pick up the garbage. Then I head on home. It's always a nice day trip.

Peronel: Your signature...I have a feeling I should know this. What does it mean? Is it the first line from a book? You can PM me with this, if it is a private thing.

 

[Occlith]

My city is offering free disposal of e-waste. I'm taking old radios, phones, vcrs, computers, printers, etc.

 

[Peronel]

Robert, that's a lovely idea. We do something similar on Clean Up Australia Day, with beaches and national parks being a particular focus.

As for the sig, it's the first line from Stephen King's It, which everyone is sick of me talking about, I'm sure!

 

[Motokid]

I contributed to atmosphere....

 

[cmbroom]

I feel a little bit bad about Earth Day. I watched Al Gore on Oscar night and I was convicted. Trouble is, I have no yard to grow my own veggies, and I think that if I tried to bike to my usual spots (work, grocery, school, etc.) I would get run over. I have a cloth grocery bag which I try to remember to use, but that seems to be my only contribution this year. Maybe I'll see if there is a lobby group for bike lanes...

 

[Motokid]

I watched Al Gore on Oscar night and I was convicted.

Convicted?

Just for that I'm gonna go fire up my lawn mower, weed whacker, and leaf blower....

Al Gore should be convicted for fear-mongering, lying, and being a complete dooofus.

 

[cmbroom]

LOL, you have to understand, I am not a big fan of Gore's. So when I say convicted, I didn't really mean by Gore himself, but more by the whole issue.

 

[Motokid]

The only issue is the earth is in a warming trend. Something the earth does with, or without man. It also cools from time to time.

Man has nothing to do with it.

Unless you believe the media crap, and/or the Gore ultra-stupendous-mega-crap.