It’s a Green Thing!

It seems that in each generation there forms a group of people who call themselves “environmentalists.”  Their mission is to point out areas where we human beings are harming the planet in ways such as using up all the natural resources or polluting the air and then try to get the masses to conform so we can “save the planet.” What is this all about?

Going back just a little over 100 years, John Muir founded the Sierra Club as a way to save our nations resources.  He became know as the “Father of our National Parks System” for being instrumental in the creation of Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon national parks.  His goal was to protect our natural resources.

Before John Muir, Henry David Thoreau was concerned about saving wildlife.  And so on through our history, handfuls of individuals have striven to make this land bountiful and sustainable for generations to come. This is not a new concept!

So why is it that this “green thing” has never really caught on?

In the early 1960′s, a movement started that picked up some speed but then seemed to lose it.  Again, it was a small but determined group of individuals who wanted to make sure our nation would be sustainable for generations.

As noted by Wikipedia, “In 1968, Morton Hilbertand the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, an environmental conference for students to hear from scientists about the effects of environmental degradation on human health.This was the beginning of Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and students worked to plan the first Earth Day.In April 1970—along with a federal proclamation from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson—the first Earth Day was held.”

April 22 was the date chosen based on the college school calendar.  They had organized the event so that students could participate and not be involved in exams or on vacation.

Since 1970, the U.S. “Green Wave” (as defined by Daniel Esty – author of ‘From Green to Gold’) has seen many ups and downs.  For the past few years however, the Green Wave has been consistently building.  Many of the big name companies have jumped on board with new products (for example – Seventh Generation and Clorox Green Works).  Services of all kind are available to assist consumers in the quest to “go green”.

In addition towns all over America who have participated with cleanup events and Earth Day celebrations are adding more and more community themed events to get people involved.

So what are you doing this Earth Day?  Even if you do not do something on Earth Day itself, set a goal to do something during the month of April to commemorate Earth Day and help promote awareness.

Need some ideas? Salem is having their first annual Greater Salem Earth Day Event on Sunday April 22 at the Salem High School.  Windham and Atkinson have town cleanups scheduled and are looking for volunteers.  The Field of Dreams in Salem is having their spring cleanup on April 14. Check your local newspapers.  Get involved.  Be part of the solution for a sustainable future for generations to come!