Earth Day is here, people. And if you’re a person on Earth like me, then that matters! Let’s face it, this old rock has been downright generous to us tiny little things, and at its own detriment, too.
Sometimes we have to stand up and say “No. It’s our turn to help you, kind old rock.”
Unless you are a fundamentalist crossing their fingers for the weatherman to announce gusts of lead and brimstone, stewardship of our home planet is kind of a no-brainer and even the Bible curses the man who longs for the rapture.
As obvious as a thing like caring for the planet seems to be, there can still be a lot of conflicting information out there and one wrong fact-check could lead a person to feel like their efforts don’t actually make a difference. Especially if your parents leave the mainstream media on during dinner.
You’ll hear things like how electric cars are harder on the environment than gas because of the batteries, which may be true, but doesn’t it kind of sound like something a petroleum lobbyist would pay an entertainment newscaster to say?
Or how you shouldn’t recycle because the process releases more greenhouse gasses than garbage. Which could also be true, but do we really want to make more new plastic? Even if we can?
Or how about that there is no evidence of human influence causing global warming? This little buzz fact seems to sting any passionate proponent of eco-friendly living, just when they’re hitting their stride in a self-perceived “I Have A Dream” quality speech.
Inevitably someone will reach out from the sidelines and crush the liberal soul’s momentum with this seeming kryptonite for their argument.
But is it a valid point?
Let’s say for a second that there is absolutely no human connection to global warming and we know that for a fact.
We still have prescription medications (including birth control, think about it) that won’t filter out in processing now showing up in our drinking water.
We still have coral reefs dying all over the world, one by one. We are still, yes, still, cutting down rainforests. We still have air pollution warnings in any major city brave enough to admit their shame for the sake of their citizens.
We have China, the most industrialized country on the planet (much of that coal powered), playing the cowboy with little regulation and no change to this ominous fact in sight. Largely due to the demand for their products from first-world countries like ours.
Lastly, and genuinely most disturbing as it is coming from the leader of the free world, we have Andrew R. Wheeler appointed as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
A lawyer.
A corporate lawyer.
If there’s smoke coming out of your ears, try to harness the steam to charge your phone or just take deep breaths. The point is, no matter what you or anyone else says about climate change, hopefully, we can agree that we absolutely have a problem with pollution.
Say it with me. We have a problem with pollution.
Good.
This Earth Day I implore you to go check your screen time on your most used apps. Yes, you can do that. Take a minute to digest just how much time you spend right there in that little screen.
Think about the miracle of technology and how far we have come with the gifts harvested from under our feet.
Now take one day’s worth of social media time and donate it to your local sun-orbiting rock in any way you can. If you find yourself feeling like a million bucks, do it again next week.
Or tomorrow. While we still have tomorrows to think about.
Because if enough birth control gets in our water supply, or all the coral reefs die or we forget to vote this election, our tomorrows are almost certainly numbered.
So get out there and say your thanks to the nice big green blue rock. Take care of it, and thus each other, and thus ourselves.
Brian Yoder
Reporter