Earth Day New Year

Today is the day!  April 22nd, 2013.  According to the Earth Day Network (www.earthday.org), over 1 billion people in over 192 countries are participating in Earth Day related events today!

Ever wonder how “Earth Day” came to be on April 22nd? (From Wikipedia) “In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, the date proposed was March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature’s equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations. Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.

While this day is the day that the world comes together as one to celebrate the Earth, it is important to note that “earth day” is EVERYDAY!

Here in NH we have a large number of Earth Day related events that have been going on since April 1.  But what happens after April?  Good question!  Do we just forget about it till next year?  Do all the “closet greenies” that have come out for the month quietly go back into their closets and wait until the calendar turns again?  I would like to think not but that is exactly what has happened every year that I can remember.

It’s kind of like cheering on your favorite team when they are doing well and ignoring them when they are not.

Ever see a snow ball roll down a hill?  It starts small then gets bigger and bigger as it moves down the hill picking up more and more snow along the way.  That is what the “green movement” (or whatever you prefer to call it!) is doing right now in this age.

More and more people are realizing that this planet is crucial to our existence and we need to protect it.  Whether that is by recycling, using less plastic, reducing your carbon foot print, or any of the 1000′s of other things you can do, the bottom line is just do SOMETHING!

If you are not doing anything, pick something easy to start with.  Unplug your cell phone charger when it is not in use.  “Vampire power” is not only costly but a huge waste of resources.  Turn off your computer at night or at least turn off the monitors.  Make you life simple, put the items you are going to power off every night on one power strip and the rest on a different one.  Just remember to hit the power button on the power strip when you are done for the day.  How about recycling? It’s simple and doesn’t cost a thing!  Most communities have single-stream recycling where you put all your recyclables in one container.  Not sure what your community does?  A two minute phone call can fix that!  Just call your local transfer station and ask!  They can also give you information on where to dispose hazardous materials like old paint cans, fluorescent bulbs and more!

There is so much that you can do that can make a difference.  But like everything, the first thing to do is start!  I say we make April 22nd “Earth Day New Year” the day where we make a resolution to do something for the planet and actually KEEP that resolution!

Happy Earth Day!