{"id":138,"date":"2011-04-22T22:02:31","date_gmt":"2011-04-23T05:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=138"},"modified":"2011-05-03T18:47:47","modified_gmt":"2011-05-04T01:47:47","slug":"looking-at-the-world-through-green-tinted-lenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/?p=138","title":{"rendered":"Looking at the World through Green Tinted Lenses"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Oak<\/a>Earth Day Wake-up Song
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

This morning when I woke up, one of the first songs I heard on the radio had a decidedly earth friendly message. In honour of Earth Day, the program host of CBC Radio 2 decided to play some of the songs on David Suzuki\u2019s \u201cplaylist for the planet\u201d.\u00a0 Among them is Danny Michel\u2019s 2008 catchy tune, \u201cFeather, Fur and Fin\u201d.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t heard this song, you can check out the official video<\/a> at Danny Michel\u2019s website.\u00a0 I\u2019m assuming that most people have heard of David Suzuki, but just in case you\u2019ve never heard of this well known Canadian environmental activist and spokesperson, you can find out more about him and his work here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Originally, I had planned to write a post on critical thinking skills, but instead I was inspired by Danny Michel\u2019s song to write a short (Well, short for me, lol!) post related to Earth Day. Earth Day<\/a> is intended to inspire appreciation for the Earth and awareness of environmental concerns that, left unchecked, will damage our remarkable blue planet beyond repair.\u00a0 So how successful have we been in translating this intention into results over the last 41 years?<\/p>\n

Mirror, mirror on the wall, how green are we after all?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d say that the success of the environmental movement in raising awareness, developing long term, sustainable energy alternatives, and stemming the tide of irreparable environmental (and atmospheric) damage is uneven, at best. On the one hand, environmental education programs teaching us how to tread more lightly on the planet have helped to make a difference in the behaviours and habits of many individuals, as well as to the policies and practices of numerous municipal level governments and some corporations. We have also seen the emergence of some innovative technologies that, if widely adopted, would greatly reduce our carbon foot print and reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, we are still seeing too many environmental disasters (e.g., the oil \u201cspill\u201d in the Gulf of Mexico last year) and increasing levels of political inertia<\/span> apathy<\/span> antipathy toward passing legislation that would be much tougher on corporate and industry polluters whose practices ruin not just the environment but people\u2019s health and well-being. Furthermore, in the last 40 years we have rapidly exceeded the safety limit (350ppm) for the concentration of CO2 <\/sub>particles in the atmosphere. From the first Earth day in 1970 to now, 41 years later, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased from 328.14ppm to 392.83ppm in April 2011. (If you happen to relate to pictures better than words, check out this chart<\/a> at CO2Now.org\u2019s<\/a> website or these charts in one of my earlier blog posts, Tyrannosaurus Rex Goes to the Mall.<\/a> You can also check out either link to find out why it\u2019s important to reverse this trend as fast as possible.)<\/p>\n

Has Earth Day been co-opted in its middle years?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Social critics such as Rebecca Tarbotton have commented that Earth Day\u2019s original purpose and political nature have now been diluted into little more than PR and marketing opportunities for companies and professional services that sponsor Earth Day community events.\u00a0 In her article \u201cHas Earth Day become Corporate Greenwash Day?\u201d,<\/a> Tarnbotton wryly notes that even some of the environmental bad guys in the oil and agribusiness industries (mis)use Earth Day as an opportunity to put a green spin on their products and policies.<\/p>\n

Other critics such as Alex Steffen<\/a> claim that Earth Day has outlived its usefulness as an annual celebration. It has essentially become a celebration that is sympathetic to the idea of environmental sanity, but with its emphasis on individual actions, it fails (either by accident or design) to direct people\u2019s attention to the systemic flaws that must be confronted and changed if we want to create a sustainable future.<\/p>\n

The personal and the political<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I understand these critics\u2019 concerns and I agree with them to some extent. \u00a0I also understand why some of them have written off Earth Day as a mere shadow of its original self. But I think we need to start where we are, take the original spirit and purpose of the day, and carry it forward into our lives every day.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mistake to write off the personal acts such as recycling, spending less time in the shower, adding solar panels to a house, or opting not to buy bottled water as insignificant in their ability to make a difference. On the contrary, when people feel empowered as a result of taking on small changes (especially if they have a way of measuring<\/em><\/strong> the impact of those changes on the environment), they are more likely to feel equal to the challenge of advocating for change at the systemic and political levels. Social change and environmental movements gain momentum one person at a time, through action and education.\u00a0 One person\u2019s earth friendly habits probably won\u2019t make much of a dent, but encouraging a significant proportion of the population to adopt earth friendly habits will make a difference. If we want to persuade others to be part of the change, we would do well to remember that we influence others more by what we do than what we say.<\/p>\n

I listed a few earth-friendly habits and actions you can take to learn about and reduce carbon emissions in my post \u2018Tyrannosaurus Rex Goes to the Mall\u201d. <\/a> Rather than repeat myself, I\u2019ll offer up some new\u00a0 earth-friendly actions you can try.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Just say no to acquiring \u201cstuff\u201d you don\u2019t need; you\u2019ll be doing the environment and your bank account a huge\u00a0\u00a0 favour.\u00a0 If you haven\u2019t seen it already, check out Annie Leonard\u2019s video \u201cThe Story of Stuff.\u201d<\/a> For more ideas, check out the \u201cGive it Up\u201d<\/a> website.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stop buying bottled water.\u00a0 Most of it is tap water, and if it\u2019s imported from certain South Pacific Islands the carbon foot print of that water is astronomical. Find out from Annie Leonard why bottled water<\/a> is so environmentally unfriendly.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Skip the disposable cups and opt for a reusable travel mug when you\u2019re out and about.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If the choice is between local, sustainably grown food and imported organic food, opt for the local grown or produced food.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Find out how your federal and provincial (or state level) politicians stand on environmental and social justice issues (they\u2019re closely connected issues).\u00a0 Vote for politicians who have solid reputation for supporting environmental and social justice issues.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s your turn to share.\u00a0 How did you celebrate Earth Day?\u00a0 Is it a celebration that\u2019s past its time? What earth-friendly actions do you practice on a regular basis?<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Susan Chambers, 2011<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget that in order to leave a comment, you will have to type in the verification code exactly<\/em><\/strong> as you see it.<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy reading these posts related to social justice or environmental issues:<\/p>\n

Reflections on International Women\u2019s Day<\/a><\/p>\n

Vision, Intention, Action! Planting the Seeds for a Healthier Food System<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Earth Day Wake-up Song This morning when I woke up, one of the first songs I heard on the radio had a decidedly earth friendly message. In honour of Earth Day, the program host of CBC Radio 2 decided to play some of the songs on David Suzuki\u2019s \u201cplaylist for the planet\u201d.\u00a0 Among them is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=138"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":141,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138\/revisions\/141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sdc-sage-editing.com\/sdc-sagewit\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}