Earth Day 2012: Two Years After the Spill

Pictures of Perdido Pass in Orange Beach, Alabama, June 2010

The proximity of the second anniversary of the Gulf oil spill to the celebration of Earth Day is not lost on me. No matter how we greenwash our desires, our nation still has a long way to go to protect our natural resources. Take plastic bags, for example. A petroleum-based product, they wind up in landfills and waterways-- and for what? Convenience? But the damage this short term convenience causes is costly to our environment in the long term. And yet, everyone still seems to roll their empty cart into the store without reusable bags. Pesticides too-- houses all over Long Island are thrilled with their water views, willing to pay extra for them. And yet, many houses along the water pollute their lawns with pesticides, some chemical compounds derived from, you guessed it, oil. The water run-off destroys the very seaside habitat they love. As we continue to dig in unsafe and expensive ways to access these fossil fuels, you cannot tell me that it is more cost effective in the long term than using that same money to establish a long term and cost effective alternative energy system. Sadly little has changed in the energy industry since the spill in 2010. But we have. Our lives have taken us down the unique path of environmental activism, and this year, Team Bouler is quite keen on setting up solar panels. As we head to our next environmental activity next weekend at the Ned Smith Center, we are hoping that the legacy of the Gulf propels us to row harder, even if we are going against the tide. For more Earth Day insights, please read Olivia's Huffington Post article today.

Earth Day: Go Garden

Have you ever found yourself sitting in traffic, wondering how you would survive if there was a full scale apocalypse? No? Obviously you haven't spend enough time on the Southern State Parkway. One morning I began to run through one such scenario and realized that, despite my packed cupboards and stocked freezer, I'd be at a loss on how to grow my own food. Sure I have a small kitchen herb garden, but beyond the oregano and the sage, then what? This year will be different. With starter plants and seeds, we've been preparing for a vegetable garden. I've ordered a rain collection barrel and recycled soaker hose, and to celebrate Earth Day, James tilled up a stretch of grass in the sunniest part of the yard. Step by step, our goal of a summer garden will hopefully become a reality, and not the nightmare scenario that inspired it.

Earth Day-- Every Day

What I like about Earth Day is that it reminds us that our everyday actions can be a positive influence on the health of our environment. Every year I take stock on what I've been doing to reduce my carbon footprint, and every year, improvements can be made. Recently I've cut our household meat consumption to one day a week, improved our composting, and gone electronic on my household bills. Yet, paper still comes into the house, stray plastic bags creep into the closet, and I'm not sure how to get all the peanut butter out of the jar for recycling. It's a daily decision to strive for a smaller impact on the environment.

Planting Trees and Other Subversive Acts

How can you argue with tree planting? A seemingly-gentle act actually packs quite a political punch.

In 1977, Nobel Peace Prize winner and Kenyan political activist Dr. Wangari Maathai wanted to combat the effects of deforestation and soil erosion by organizing a tree planting campaign. Her Green Belt program not only made a change in the Kenyan landscape, it also changed how Kenyan women felt about themselves. In organzing tree planting, Maathai encouraged Kenyans not only to invest in their country, but gave them a sense of empowerment, which grew along with the 40 million trees planted across Africa. Maathai was eventually elected to Parliment in 2002.
Palestinians hope their burgeoning tree planting campaign will be as influential as Kenya's. As reported in the New York Times, Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad has encouraged tree planting on the West Bank to establish a positive presence in the area. And Green Belt is planning to expand their tree planting efforts in earthquake-ravaged Hati.

Perhaps Emerson was right. Connecting with nature helps us restore our natural morality. So as Earth Day is upon us, perhaps it's time for us each to plant a tree.

Earth Day: 39 Years Later

Imagine if our country took environmental matters seriously when Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970. Our country's growing affluence was a concern even back then, and we all know what happens next: unabashed and unbridled use of natural resources. The tide seems to be changing of course, with Joe Biden announcing today various 'green' uses of stimulus money. In fact, with tax incentives and rebates, green technologies are becoming a viable option for the everyday homeowner. It is also a technology, like the microchip, that could lead to incredible innovation and propel us into a new age. Hopefully when we celebrate Earth Day in another 39 years, we will see a vastly different notion about our planet's resources.
But a concern I have is the 'greenwashing' going on. The term has come to mean that certain companies and products are presenting themselves in an eco-friendly light, and yet they are not really reducing their toxic behaviors. Some of these behaviors are well intentioned; my son's elementary school sent home all sorts of single-sided xeroxed packets for the students to color to celebrate the day. Times that by four classes of kindergardeners, and all the kindergardeners across the country and I bet a lot of paper was generated thanks to the well-intentioned efforts of many. What will be even more concerning are the corporations that will undoubtedly capitalize on our government's forward thinking incentives by cutting corners and equivocating on the truth. It's already a shame that our government pays enormous sums of money to clean up toxic superfund sites-- wastelands once exploited by companies now too toxic for safe use. So I'd like to add an addendum and an asterisk onto today's events: as a country we should remember the mistakes of the past in order not to continue them into the future.