Earth Day: What It Is, When, and Carbon Footprints

The first Earth Day happened on April 22, 1970. It has grown from a grassroots movement starting with nearly 20 million people and ballooned to now over a billion supporters who participate in Earth Day activities around the globe.

Earth Day occurs every April 22.

In 2012, it falls on a Sunday.

April 22, 2013 is a Monday.

April 22, 2014 is a Tuesday.

© C. Calhoun 2012. All rights reserved.

Since the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide in the earth’s atmosphere is increasing at an alarming rate. Scientist after scientist has confirmed this.

Earth Day was started to help bring awareness to this idea as well as needing to promote good stewardship to the planet.

Closely related to carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere is something called a carbon footprint. Basically, this quiz will tell you what impact you are having on the planet and will offer suggestions to reduce it. One warning: if you are a citizen in North America, it will automatically calculate your carbon footprint higher than if you lived in other places. This is because US citizens, especially, have a large carbon footprint.

I admit, I thought I was doing all right: my electric bill is low, my car gets 39 mpg on the highway, I recycle most of my trash, I buy recycled clothing, reuse bags and try very hard to keep my carbon footprint low. It would still take SIX planet earths to support my lifestyle if everyone on the planet lived as I do. That’s very sobering.

It also makes me worry about the fate of our planet – a place that 500 years ago was mostly forest with old growth and unique organisms – many of which have vanished forever.

It’s not impossible to turn back the tide of planetary demolition. We can choose to be ecologically responsible. Just like the idea of PEACE, being friendly to the planet starts with each one of us.

What can you do?

First and foremost, you need to commit to the idea that you’re going to help make the planet a better place for yourself, your children and your grandchildren. Many people like this idea in theory, but never actually commit to doing their part. They either ignore it, hoping an easy solution will come along, or they adopt a fatalistic attitude, resigned to the fact that the earth is messed up and there’s no fixing it.

That’s not true! EVERY ONE, EVERY PERSON can make a difference.

Will you pledge to help the planet? As of this writing, many people around the globe have contributed to 499,579,740 “Acts of Green” to help save this planet. Will you be the next one? Will you help get that number to 500,000,000 acts of green? Will you help raise that number even higher so that every ONE person will feel compelled to help make our home beautiful and not treat it like a trash heap?

First, it’s helpful to know a few really neat facts about going “green” and helping to conserve:

• Conserving energy saves more for everyone else.
• Keeping your hot water temperature lower helps keep your electric bill down.
• Taking shorter showers helps to preserve our fresh-water drinking supply.
• Use energy-efficient bulbs – they may cost more initially, but pay for themselves over and over in terms of how much money they save you in energy costs.
• The more we all recycle the less dependent we are on foreign oil. In fact, according to the Energy Aware Organization, the US could save the equivalent of 215 million barrels of oil per year just by recycling 60% of our waste.
• Many electric companies now have programs and incentives for residents to “green” their homes. Many states have tax breaks for these same initiatives.
• Try to improve your fuel economy as much as possible: don’t do fast stops and starts, take out unnecessary items from your vehicle, and walk whenever possible. These activities are friendlier to the planet as well as your wallet.

Keep in mind that these activities are great for Earth Day, but they are also great for any time of year. Every day is an earth day, isn't it? I mean, we all live on the earth, and we all see the sunrise and sunset each day, right?

On April 22, you can:

• Plant trees – these help to absorb lots of carbon dioxide
• Try alternative transportation when going to work: carpool, take the bus, ride a bike, walk, or drive a scooter
• Join an Earth Day Campaign – Such as the” Clean Air Act” or “Plant a Garden At School Or At Home” Movements
• Join a “Billion Acts of Green”
• Write to your Senators and Representatives expressing your views on the environment, and try to look for people who will commit to using environmentally friendly practices when you go to vote. Check out you candidate’s Environmental Record.
• Organize/attend an Earth Day event

The beginning of wisdom is to understand that it is our challenge and our responsibility to act like Noah - to create arks, not floods. The Energy-Climate Era is about more than just addressing soaring energy demand, drastic climate change, and proliferating petrodictatorships. It is also about dealing with another effect of a world that is hot, flat, and crowded - the threat to the earth's biodiversity, as more and more plant and animal species are endangered or go extinct.--Thomas Friedman in Hot, Flat and Crowded