Earth Day - 38 Years Later

I remember Earth Day 1970, I was living in Vancouver, Canada and still in school. Our teacher, a bit of a forward thinker, took us all on a field trip that day to the local post office where several groups of other like minded peoples were congregating. This was a time before "green" thought, even before Greenpeace, but still we stood holding our signs protesting the "pollution" of automobiles and non-caring big business. We felt we were making a difference.

The world has changed a lot since then as has the green movement in the Americas and around the world. The idea of pollution back then was the price of "progress" said big business and to an extent that's still the excuse. The difference now points to a more and more informed public on environmental issues (thanks in a big way to the Internet).

Education being the principle that furthers the cause. To know the problem is to want to help and even though there are some who would like the public to remain ignorant of these issues, the greed that fuels these people is slowly being covered over by knowledge that we are part of this planet, not supreme rulers.

Our world is run on capitalism and whether its for or against the environment doesn't matter as much as our attitude about our existence. We as humans need to feel hope and purpose, a feeling that not only comes from age and experience, but from contemplation and knowing that we share a deep spiritual connection to the planet. We must feel passion for our environment.

So celebrate this Earth Day and celebrate your connection to all things Earth. Its the only planet we have right now. Just as I did on that first Earth Day so many years ago, go out today and educate yourself about your place on this world. With an educated populace comes unstoppable change.