Earth Day is on April 22nd and activities are beginning this weekend. Is Earth Day significant or do you see it as a empty stunt devoid of real meaning? I think it can be either, depending on your response. Here’s why.

I’m thinking about these things for two reasons. One reason is that we are trying, in our home, to take more responsibility for our ecological actions and make changes to lower our carbon footprint and live more sustainably. We are far from where we’d like to be and we recognize that.

The other reason is a post I read this morning by Shea Gunther, entitled Earth Day is hard, Earth Minute is easy, a sarcastic jab at the concept of Earth Day.

Admittedly tongue in cheek, Gunther suggests an Earth Minute for those for whom Earth Day is just too much attention to pay to the environment and implies that Earth Day serves no purpose, instead, giving participants a bit of feel good catharsis while doing nothing to change their daily habits which they return to as soon as Earth Day has ended.

Should we, therefore, abandon Earth Day celebrations/events?

The same argument was postulated regarding the recent Earth Hour event in which citizens of the world were asked to turn off all of their electrical gadgets and appliances for one hour. We participated by unplugging everything and by putting an Earth Hour plugin on the site that shut down tinymine for the duration (I’ve often wondered, since, if the plugin worked as I never got to see it in action). Others refused to participate as a political/environmental gesture, calling Earth Hour everything from “feel good” hype to fascism.

It’s bad enough when those opposed to changing the status quo for business reasons challenge attempts to create movements and events in support of environmental change. It pains me to see environmentalists poo poo things like Earth Hour, Earth Day and Buy Nothing Day as ineffective and, therefore, not worthwhile because they don’t initiate immediate, lifelong change in all (or even many) of their participants. Personally, I feel that nonsupport (and even ridicule) from environmentalists do more to prevent the population from making any lasting changes than attacks from corporate interests.

We should be participating in Earth Day events and encouraging our friends, family and neighbours to participate. We should make it fun and informative and provide plenty of exposure for organizations to get their messages out. Will there be those that take advantage of Earth Day to trumpet themselves as “green” for monetary or political gain or to appear hip and relevant while making no true or lasting changes in their consumptive habits? Of course. Will there be some who attend an event and learn something they didn’t know about before that they then take into their personal spheres of influence? Yes. Will there be some for whom an event becomes a turning point that leads them on a journey toward lifestyle change? Yes.

I know because I am one of those people. Earth Hour, in particular, had a profound effect on our house as the experience of sitting together for one hour, by candlelight, encouraged us to talk about ways in which we waste energy and resolve to start making changes. I have always been interested in ecological issues and have participated on and off in a few initiatives but I have been, at times, overwhelmed by the problems facing our world and the guilt of not being able to do everything right. It’s easier to just give up. It’s easier to get cynical, refuse to participate, throw up my hands in despair and say that the little bit I am doing is not enough, will never be enough and, therefore, I will do nothing.

Instead, tomorrow, I’m headed to Jericho Beach to plant some trees with my family. It promises to be a fun day and, hopefully, we’ll learn a few things, connect with others who are working toward solutions and come home invigorated, hopeful and ready to take on new challenges. That’s the idea, anyway, and I think it’s a good one.

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