This year, Earth Day isn't getting a lot of press. Elections and oil prices are sucking up all the media attention. And despite my environmentalism, my cynical side feels it's a rather bankrupt observance, much like Mother's Day, where we all pause to feel guilty, do a little reflection and penance, a few good deeds perhaps, and then proceed blithely onward. But my earnest side argues that there are precious few days for reflection in our culture, so why not take advantage of the opportunity to ponder our role in Earth's vast but delicate ecosystems, and take some real actions to change our lives, others', and hopefully, the future.
1. WRITE A LETTER
The most important thing you can do to help Earth this year is not very glamorous, or much fun. It's write a letter (or make a phone call, or better yet a personal visit) to your elected officials, expressing your opinion on an environmental issue. If you haven't been politically active before, don't worry. You don't need to speak with the authority of a scientist. All you need to do is tell your legislators how you feel about the issue, and how you would like them to act. I'm all for making small changes in the way we live our lives (like installing CFLs, for example), but those actions aren't going to make a difference in environmental policy. We all need to tell the people in power (and the people who will be in power after the November elections) that we care about the environment and that we want them to make environmental issues a top priority. If everyone picks one issue that's important to them, and writes just one letter, or just one letter more than they wrote last year, that will be that many more voices speaking for the environment. We need legislated change in order for things to happen on a large scale.
Find your Congressperson here.
Find your Senator here.
Find your state representatives here: Alabama;
Florida House and Senate;
Mississippi House and Senate.
2. GO TO A PARK
This is the fun part. Visit a state or national park. Statistics show that national park attendance has declined over the past couple of decades, and that's worrisome. People naturally value what they have personally experienced, and it stands to reason that if our population is not experiencing the natural beauty of our parks, we will value them less. We need to get out and remind ourselves how amazing nature can be, as well as show our government that we think these national treasures are truly important and worth preserving. This is especially important for kids too, since these kinds of firsthand, formative experiences can have lifelong effects. Author Richard Louv is even arguing for a new understanding of some of our children's modern problems, Nature Deficit Disorder. In addition, new evidence suggests that climate change may alter some of our national parks dramatically, so see them in their present state while you still can, and take plenty of photos.
3. TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN
As with other important issues, talking with your child about how you feel about the environment will be critical in their formation of their own attitudes towards the earth. Our children (and I mean that in the broadest possible sense, even for those who don't have children) are the most important legacy we will leave behind us, and their beliefs and actions have the potential to affect countless others. Start instilling a sense of wonder and environmental responsibility early.
4. PLANT A KITCHEN GARDEN
This one is easy. It doesn't have to be a major project; just buy a container and some soil and plant a tomato! I guarantee that whatever your input, you will be surprised and pleased with the results. Your produce will be tasty, amazingly fresh, and will have the added benefit of incrementally reducing your carbon load. I challenge you to grow a tomato plant one summer and NOT be inspired to do more the next year. There is something so innately satisfying about growing and harvesting that I truly think it is part of our human makeup. Certainly one could argue that natural selection favored those who farmed.
5. BUY LOCAL FOOD
OK, if you're not going to grow your own food, visit your local farmers market and give your dollars to the person who did. Again, you will be getting delicious, fresh seasonal produce, putting money back into the local economy, and reducing the miles that at least some of your food has to travel. Farmers markets are just a fun place to hang out, too. Often you can find music, crafts, baked goods, your neighbors, and more. Kids love it. I'll be profiling some local markets in the coming weeks, as we kickoff the season.
6. GO CHEMICAL FREE
You will save yourself a lot of money on this one. Stop dumping fertilizers and weed killers (i.e. poisons) onto your lawn. It will be fine without it. Indoors, consider ditching the chemical cleaners. You can clean everything in your house with vinegar and baking soda. If you don't like those options, there are a wide variety of natural recipes, and if you don't like that, there's a growing range of "green" cleaning products, even a new line from Clorox. Your indoor air quality will be better, your children and pets will be safer, and the environment will be better off. (I have to recommend one of my favorite books here, Organic Housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck (also reprinted as Green Housekeeping.)
7. EAT A MEATLESS MEAL
Just one a week, or one more per week than you have been. It takes more energy and resources to produce meat than it does to produce plants. By eating a vegetarian meal you can reduce your environmental footprint. Haven't calculated your footprint yet? Do it here. (In case you're curious, my footprint comes in at 3.96 Earths.)
8. RETHINK YOUR CONSUMPTION
I saved this one for last because it is truly the hardest item on the list. For most of us in the U.S., consumption is second nature; we schedule our days and weeks around shopping trips, look forward to reading the Sunday advertising circulars, and save up (or charge up) for the Next Best Thing, be it technology, clothing, cars, or children's toys. But life wasn't always this way (though it certainly has been in my lifetime); our consumer-driven economy is largely a post-WWII phenomenon. Our planet and its resources are finite, and we in the U.S. consume far more than the average person around the globe. If we are to make the radical changes necessary for sustainable development and to lessen the impacts of climate change, we will really have to rethink our relationship to consumption, on a variety of levels. This means not only when it comes to buying new goods (starting with whether to buy an item at all), but also being more conscious of end-of-life issues (product life, that is), recycling, and reusing. Repairing, mending, and repurposing will once again become important skills. Simplifying, in terms of reducing consumption and slowing down, can have a very positive effect on one's life. Visit the Center for a New American Dream to learn more.
WHAT WE'RE DOING FOR EARTH DAY
Actually I made my New Year's Resolutions this year all environmental ones, and number one coincides with the first one on this list. Our biggest step has been selling our second car. My husband 'traded it in' on a bike and is now cycling to work and taking the bus home. I'm trying to minimize car travel and take the bus or walk when possible (not always easy when you have a three year-old in tow, but sometimes doable). I actually bought a bike of my own today, on Earth Day! We've also put up a clothesline to reduce dryer use and installed screen doors to increase ventilation in our house. But there are still plenty of things on the to-do list. I haven't finished converting all our light bulbs to CFLs. About 60% are, but there are still a random few fixtures that I need to buy bulbs for. We're also still working on reducing our consumption of goods and meat.
Did you set any goals for yourself on Earth Day?
