Earth Love

Okay. Here comes the curmudgeon.

Today is Earth Day. I probably would forget except that I opened Google and read every other post on Facebook. Ooh wow. Yaye. Let’s do something to save the earth. For ONE day.

Seriously?

I get PR. I would like to better understand it, honestly. I hope to be out there selling a product in the not too distant future. So I appreciate a gimmick. A hook to get attention. But when we’re talking causes… when we are talking change… does a day really matter?

Well, I suppose it doesn’t NOT matter. If a whole bunch of people shut off their lights for an hour today, huzzah. If a bunch of people decide not to buy a paper cup (woops, indulged in the crackhouse this morning), that’s really cool. If groups of volunteers go out and pick up trash… the world will look prettier… for a couple weeks anyway.

Awareness is a good thing. I’m not going to knock that. Good for you if you think about this stuff. And even better if you do something today. If you give a shout out to Gaia, great. But, um… is this just a one night stand? Or is it love?

Like I said, I did the unfriendly thing and bought a giant plastic cup for my iced coffee this morning. But… you know what? I’m not going to feel too guilty. Because: a. I collect the plastics in my office – even to the point of pulling them out of the trash - and bring them home to recycle and b. I stopped going to Starbucks EVERY day and brew my own coffee to drink in a mug each morning.

No, that doesn’t make me a hero. Nor do I expect you to be me. I’m just saying, I didn’t just choose today only to exhibit my earth friendly attitude.

Like everything I rant about here, it has to be a personal choice. I make these choices - to pull something out of the trash when I know it should go in a recycle bin, to drive a hybrid, to start (and I’ve only just started) looking at the labels of my produce to see how far they travel, to reuse my grocery bag, to challenge myself by writing this list… and think of all the things I’m NOT doing. I waste water – in the shower… and with my neurosis over clean dishes. I could walk more and drive that hybrid less. I don’t really need blueberries in the middle of January. I could do so much more. 

But not just because it’s Earth Day today. Because I live on the Earth EVERY SINGLE DAY. Not just some arbitrary day in April.