Ah, Earth Day!

A time when the world joins hands to celebrate the rise of eco-awareness and spread the message across the globe!

Or – a time for folk to switch off the lights for a bit, plant a tree and smugly pat themselves on the back that they’ve fixed the planet for another year! (Global warming is still going on? Must be all those slackers who left their lights burning).

So, which of these is the Earth Day we know? Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, the latter is more and more likely as time goes on. That’s the thing about novelty: it only happens once. The impact gets softer, the message gets diluted, and after a while it’s less of a wake-up call than a Snooze button.

Our friends at Grist are so worried about Earth Day and the law of diminishing returns that they’ve formulated a pithy new philosophy. It goes like this:

Screw Earth Day.

Earth Day raised the eco movement to the next level. It bridged the gap between government and grass-roots, and it was influential in the development of the Clean Air Act and the Environmental Protection Agency.

But it’s been running for nearly forty years. It’s not an Event anymore. And Grist believes that because it’s just a yearly festival, it does precious little to change our habits – and anyway, what difference can one day (especially Earth Day) really make?

“One day is for amateurs. We can do better.”

– Chip Giller, Grist

It’s not about looking green. It’s about being green. Eco-friendliness isn’t a New Year’s resolution – it’s discovering a new lifestyle, bit by bit. It’s about lasting change, not gimmicks. For example, why not make Earth Hour last all year round so we can truly rediscover the dark?

If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve got over a year’s worth of eco tips for you right here, but we can also recommend having a read of Grist’s brilliant and award-winning Wake Up And Smell The Planet, available for free here (free registration required) – and you’re even entered to win tickets to Bonnaroo.

How has Earth Day changed your outlook on the environment? And is Earth Day worth saving?

Image: James Jordan

When the people of Thailand coordinated an intentional blackout in response to a fuel crisis in 2005, the World Wildlife Fund recognized the enormous impact such a statement could make on a global level.

While Australians were the primary participants during the first official Earth Hour in 2007, the word has spread like wildfire since those pivotal sixty minutes when 2.2 million residences and businesses went dark.

In 2008, more than 400 cities in 35 countries shared in this environmental effort, from individuals to monumental landmarks like the Colosseum, Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney Opera House for a grand total of 50 million people.

What’s in store this year? 2100 cities in 82 committed countries aim for a following of a billion concerned conservationists this Saturday evening, March 28th, between 8:30 and 9:30, including famous sites like the Great Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Petronas Towers and Acropolis.

Image: joiseyshowaa