Good Natured: What are you doing for Earth Day

Wednesday is Earth Day 2026. It will mark the 56th anniversary of this now-global holiday. Fifty-six years … wow, that's a long time … a long time to get things done and turn things around. But the question is, "Is the earth better off today than when Earth Day began?" Of course, the answer to this is … not exactly. And with many Earth Day era advances now being diluted and eliminated, the future of Earth Day itself might become a topic of discussion. But the fact is, the activist conception of Earth Day was never supposed to be its destiny. If successful, Earth Day was to evolve into a celebrational day, and not a date that simply reminds us of all that we have done to degrade the only livable planet we know of. And the timing of such a bold statement comes just days after the Artemis II moon mission sent back new and completely stunning images of Earth for all of us to see ... of it appears alone in the blackness of space … of how Earth lacks all opinions and philosophies and only expresses the physical boundaries of water and mountains … for us to see just how absolutely beautiful our planet is. Earth Day, too, was supposed to be a day when we not only reminded ourselves of what needs to be done to protect our planet, but to initiate us to do something to help it … something more … something good …something important … and something to build upon. So, with Earth Day 2026 just five days out, I am asking, "What will you do?" Here are some ideas: Will you plant a tree? What is incomplete about this "all-too-familiar" motivation is that there are more plants on Earth than just trees. Planting flowers would be just as acceptable. The real emphasis here is to plant something native. Alien invasive plants are as much of a problem as pollution. Native plantings encourage biodiversity and provide food and shelter for native animals. Will you join in a cleanup? There are hundreds of cleanups scheduled for Earth Day every year and certainly, and sadly, they are needed. But cleanups just temporarily relieve an outward symptom of solid waste pollution. What is needed is for each and every cleanup event to transform all participants into activists who not only don't pollute, but to encourage others not to pollute as well. I believe that an ultimate measure of success in this endeavor might be when a posted warning sign that lists the fines of littering is replaced with a sign that brags about how littering on this property was eliminated and how other places can do it as well. Will you walk instead of driving your car? (Yes, EV owners, this one is for you, too!) Driving is certainly an irreplaceable part of our lives, but, perhaps, on Earth Day you either refrain from driving somewhere or you walk instead … or, maybe, ride a bike instead (and not one of those e-bikes.) Walking and biking have numerous health benefits, so maybe you take a walk just for the sake of walking. If so, why not take a walk in the woods? Or a field? Or along a lakeshore? Will you shut off your HVAC? Whether it is warm or cold on Earth Day, would you consider turning off your furnace? Would you consider adjusting the AC setting upward and the heating setting downward? Would you consider continuing this throughout the year? For many, this might not be exciting, but remember that it does come with great savings in your utility bill as an extra incentive! Will you follow the R's? Many of us know the three R's -- Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. These tried-and-true approaches cut down on solid waste, and they might even save you a small bit of money. But the fact of the matter is that they tend to justify purchasing things that are poorly packaged. In example, purchasing soda in plastic bottles seems OK since the bottles can be recycled. Yet, recycling takes many expensive steps and often leads to a quarter-zip garment and not another bottle. Whereas purchasing the same soda in a glass container that can be recycled can lead to a quicker, less expensive refill of the bottle. (And, don't you agree, the soda tastes better in glass?) The point is that there are many more R's that can be instituted, with, I believe, the idea of refusing to purchase something that is unreasonably packaged being the most important. The question then is, "Do you think that consumers might have enough status to make manufacturers change how they package things?" I think they … we … do! A little sidebar to this one. Do you employ reusable grocery bags? This is a really big one that we all should be doing. It greatly cuts down on plastic waste, and it might even save a few cents. Also, remember that plastic grocery bags can't go in your recycle bin or cart. They must travel down a separate route to get recycled. Usually, retailers that use them have plastic bag recycling bins at their entrances. Will you continue to do positive things after Earth Day? One of the overriding themes of Earth Day through the years centers on making the feeling and the effort of Earth Day become a part of every day. So, what will you do this Earth Day that you can comfortably continue to do throughout the year? And, can you do one more thing for me? On April 22, greet the people you know with, "Happy Earth Day!" Subtle marketing, like planting tiny seeds, can grow into great things.