For 42 years, people all over the planet have recognized April 22 as Earth Day. More than one billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world.
Despite the success of Earth Day, people are becoming frustrated with the failure of governments to take any steps toward protecting and preserving the environment. The campaign this year is designed to provide people with the opportunity to unite their voices in a call for a sustainable future.
Earth Day 2012 - Mobilize the Earth calls on all of us to stand up on behalf of the planet and demand its protection. A Billion Acts of Green is an Earth Day campaign aimed at collecting pledges of small gestures that individuals can make to be more earth friendly that together make a big impact.
The acts can be simple, such as pledging to use less water, to recycle more or to save energy by switching off and unplugging electronic appliances. Other actions involve the community, including clean ups and removing trash from the backcountry.
For whatever reason, our community has to deal with a large amount of garbage that is dumped in the backcountry. It’s a problem that seems to be growing in the Powell River area. If past trends are any indication, the problem will only become worse with spring’s arrival. This time of year, with spring cleaning and gardening on the to-do list for many homeowners, people start dumping residential garbage in large quantities in the forests surrounding the community.
Last year approximately 250 people participated in Trash Bash, an event that focuses on cleaning up after others. There is nothing more disheartening when out enjoying the wilderness to come across piles of garbage left by others who disregard laws and the damage their ill-considered acts inflict on the environment.
Forty-two years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity, to build a healthy, prosperous, sustainable society now and for the future.
The most important work occurs locally. Individuals, businesses, organizations and local governments have an opportunity to make changes to the way that we develop our region to bring balance into our ecosystem.
While Earth Day is important, one day of the year isn’t enough to protect what we have. We all have to become more concerned about the health of our ecosystems, the fragile network of life that supports us and our place in the great chain of being.
Small actions can have big impacts. We all need to live as if every day is Earth Day.
