Sunday April 22nd
the 42nd celebration of Earth Day.
Earth Day is a day early each year on which events are held worldwide to increase awareness and appreciation of the Earth's natural environment. Earth Day is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network,[1] and is celebrated in more than 175 countries every year.[2] In 2009, the United Nations designated April 22 International Mother Earth Day.[3] Earth Day is planned for April 22 in all years at least through 2015.[4]The name and concept of Earth Day was allegedly pioneered by John McConnell in 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco. The first Proclamation of Earth Day was by San Francisco, the City of Saint Francis, patron saint of ecology. Earth Day was first observed in San Francisco and other cities on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations where it is observed each year. About the same time a separate Earth Day was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.[5][6] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.
Well we all know that
if we want to do something to preserve the earth on which we all live
and depend, then we have to think of getting rid of corporate
capitalism. We can celebrate Earth Day by doing something simple,
like forget the car and/or public transport when possible and walk or
take the bike. Plant a tree, don't buy anything, decide where
possible to grow your own veggies. There are a million small ways we
can all do something to protect the environment, but the damage will
still go on as long as we don't change the system under which must of
the damage occurs, capitalism. It is the continual drive to control
world markets by large multi-national corporations that is ripping
the heart out of the planet. Everything must be done on a massive
scale, whole swaths of land are turned into a colossal chemical
driven agricultural factory, mountains are ripped apart and polluted
for their minerals, the sea is vacuum cleaned of its fish. Everything
has to be on a gigantic scale to feed the greed of the corporate
world. Until we address that problem all the little efforts of
turning the heating down one degree, taking less time in the shower,
only boiling enough water for the amount of tea you require, etc.
will be of no avail. The planet can support the human race and all
its other diverse species, but it can't support the greed of
corporate capitalism.
