Earth Day 2012

In case you missed it, or even if you didn’t, the nation celebrated “Earth Day 2012” on Sunday April 22nd. There were many local and national events on that day, and there are more to come through out the next couple of weeks.

I admit I’m old enough to remember the first “Earth Day” in 1970. Actually, a short story I wrote for an “Earth Day” writing contest sponsored by ISU around 1973 was the first time I received compensation for my writing. My story, titled “Unbalanced”, won first place in the fiction category, and I received a whopping $5.00.

In 1969, US Senator Gaylord Nelson, a Democrat from Wisconsin, came up with the idea of “Earth day”. He was concerned that across the country, evidence of environmental degradation was overwhelming, and everyone noticed except the political establishment. The environmental issue was not on the nation's political agenda. People were concerned, but the politicians weren’t. He thought that if he could tap into the concerns of the public, and direct the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, he could generate demonstrations across the country that would force the issue onto the national political scene. At a conference in 1969, Senator Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a national grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment. The result of his announcement was more than he could have imagined. Inquiries poured into his office from all across the country. When the first “Earth Day” was over, 20 million demonstrators and thousands of schools and local communities had participated.

I can remember some of the demonstrations on the ISU campus during the early 70s. The protests themselves were pretty exciting, but the added entertainment provided by the “streakers” made those events even more memorable. However, that’s another story.

Forty two years later, we’re not only still celebrating “Earth day”, but its message is as relevant as ever. We continue to consume or destroy our air, water, soil, forests, minerals, rivers, lakes, oceans, scenic beauty, wildlife habitats and bio-diversity. This is not a sustainable situation in the long term. We can stick our heads in the sand for a while, but eventually our bottoms are going to notice a problem. When it’s all gone, we’ll have nothing left except a wasteland.

Maybe, in honor of “Earth Day” you’d like to resolve to personally have less of a negative impact on the earth, but aren’t sure how to go about it. Here are some simple things you can do to begin the process of being a better environmental steward.
• Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.
• Reuse your water bottle. Reuse everything at least once, especially plastics, like disposable plates, silverware, and cups. Also baggies. • Start a compost pile in your back yard.
• Buy foods locally if you can. If it’s in season, buy it at farmer’s markets and produce stands.
• Buy compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Recycle your newspapers, glass, and anything else you can. Things that we can recycle locally include; newspapers, glass bottles and jars, tin and aluminum containers, plastic, mixed waste paper (cardboard, phone books, magazines, junk mail, office paper, brown bags); and used motor oil. Also, electronics and appliances.
• Buy products that use recyclable materials whenever possible, or products made from recycled materials.
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Given a choice between plastic and paper, opt for paper. If you must use plastic grocery bags, recycle them for doggie poop bags or for small trashcan liners.
• Consider organic cleaning products like vinegar, borax, and baking soda.
• If you have a baby, try using cloth diapers.
• Consider buying a fuel-efficient car or a hybrid.
• Recycle your technology. Retro Tech in Peoria accepts your old electronics and appliances for recycling.
• Switch to fair trade or shade coffee. (Bird friendly)
• Plant trees.
• Reduce waste. Throw fewer things out. If you have clothes, furniture, household goods, toys etc. that you don’t want anymore, don’t drag them to the curb. Take them to one of the many places in town that accepts used items, such as “The Church Mouse” on Main St. in Peoria. This is a store full of pre-loved items run by the Lutheran Women of Greater Peoria, who use the profits to help non profit agencies, such as Lutheran Social Services.

So, on “Earth Day” and beyond, let’s remember the words of Chief Seattle, Chief of the Suquamish people. “This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”
Amen!