Saturday is Earth Day, an annual designation that promotes “a partnership for the planet.” While several local events are scheduled and while millions of people across the globe will participate in activities, the idea of “Earth Day” is a misnomer. Concern for the planet and sustainability should guide our actions every day, not just once a year.
Earth Day was first launched in 1970, and it has close ties to Clark County. Denis Hayes, coordinator of that initial Earth Day, grew up in Camas and graduated from Clark College before attending Stanford University. Since helping to launch the observance — which was the brainchild of Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson — Hayes has been a leader in the environmental movement. In 1999, Time magazine lauded him as “Hero of the Planet.”
Hayes’ path in environmentalism demonstrates the fits and starts that have affected the movement. During the Jimmy Carter administration, he headed the federal government’s solar energy research effort; the program’s budget was slashed when Ronald Reagan entered the White House.
In 1993, Hayes said: “I think that the greatest crime against the environment will be the decision early on in the Reagan years to shut down the renewable energy development program to the extent that they could. … Research that was being done on solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and other renewable, sustainable, safe, benign, resilient, decentralized energy sources came to a halt.”
Government policy can seem out of reach to average citizens, and protecting the environment can appear intractable. But Earth Day is a reminder that we all can play a role in developing sustainable habits.
As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stresses, “Protecting our planet begins with you.” The administration’s website offers 10 easy recommendations for helping the environment, including “Reduce, reuse, recycle,” “conserve water” and “plant a tree.”
Perhaps most important is the recommendation to become educated about environmental issues: “When you further your own education, you can help others understand the importance and value of our natural resources.”
Such education is particularly important these days, with climate change influencing policy decisions and fueling political discord. The latest report from the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that the world is close to a dangerous threshold, with the burning of fossil fuels contributing to rising temperatures. The IPCC chair said, “The choices we make now and in the next few years will reverberate around the world for hundreds, even thousands, of years.”
An increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires, shrinking glaciers and rising sea levels in our state make clear the local impact of climate change. A diminishing Colorado River in the Southwest United States makes clear the national and global impact. The river provides irrigation for much of the nation’s food production, and it is drying up.
Earth Day offers an opportunity to ponder and recognize how environmental issues are intertwined and how our actions can have a broad influence. With that in mind, the city of Vancouver is sponsoring a variety of events Saturday, including its first Sustainable Communities Fair. Several volunteer opportunities are available, and the family-friendly fair will take place at Bagley Community Park from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Whether or not you are able to participate in Earth Day events, we offer a gentle reminder: Every day should be Earth Day.
