On April 22, 2010 it will be the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
Earth Day was started in 1970 because of all the things that were messed up with environmental issues. There was massive amounts of unfiltered smoke coming from huge stacks, which were polluting the air. People finally realized they needed to do something about it, and on April 22,1970 Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin made Earth Day official.
I think Earth Day is a great day to recognize and take part in, most communities have little gatherings for Earth Day to do fun activities, usually benefiting everyone! I know here in Aberdeen our little celebration is usually the weekend before Earth Day. Back when Earth Day was first established I feel like people were more determined to make a difference. There were tons of laws related to environmental issues that happened in the 70's. background.
Here is a website full of green activities to do. (This is kind of a kids site but still, great fun and free things to do!)
Other than that, you know the usual!
Remember to turn out your lights for an hour, and recycle!
Oh! Here's a discussion question: Do you think that Earth Day is effective in teaching people what is right and what is wrong?
I think that even though people are talking and talking about green this and that they do not understand the real difference that is coming from it, most people just see it as, a new hip fashion, that has no scientific background, but if you take the time to study it you would see and notice that it actually does make a difference. Take for instance a bottle of detergent that is labeled green. These are some things that can make you see if it really is 'green'. Look at the ingredients (if it is listed, which it usually is not) and compare them to the normal, their should be a difference in the chemicals being used. Another thing is the container is more concentrated, allowing the companies to produce smaller bottles, which in turn saves waste! Still don't think it is right for you? Did you know that in Maryland there is a bill that only green products were to be used in all public schools? Look here!
That is all!
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I don't know if Earth Day is as effective in teaching people about the Earth as it could be. True there is a lot of talk about how to save save save but I don't think a single person has realized how much what he or she does effects the earth. Like for example I forget to unplug my phone charger or turn off the lights in a room and I know it is wasteful but when I am in a hurry it doesn't strike me how much energy and money I am wasting. It would be interesting if there was a way a person could discover how much he or she is doing that is wasteful each day. I don't know if I am explaining this right but like when I went to Harford Glen as a counselor and the teachers there had a measurements for all the energy wasted then it kind of meant something. you know?
ReplyDeleteI think it is honestly really cool when you find things that you use every day and you find out that they actually are helpful for the earth and if there was a way that those earth friendly things could be cheaper and easier for people to use I think more people would use them.
What are some common wasteful things that occur everyday that a person does?
sorry forgot this last part. My dad is a chemical engineer and he has told me that some of the products that are supposed to be "greenier" for a certain reason are actually worse for the enviroment. Why hasn't anyone caught this before?
ReplyDeleteI believe there are devices (you would have to buy it!) available that you can plug various appliances etc. into to determine their energy usage. There is a big controversy now regarding the Energy Star labeling and easy it is to game the federal agency responsible for determining the requirements and granting the Energy Star designations.
ReplyDeleteEnvironmental consciousness in this culture seems to vary, based on the state of the economy- sadly. Nevertheless, Earth Day is a worthwhile teaching tool -- I know my daughter's elementary school does a lot & she's more aware because of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the brief history on the day. The modern environmental movement was one of so many popular movements launched in the charged atmosphere of the 1960s.
prof
Well leaving anything plugged in causes waste, if you have a desktop computer and you open it, inside there's a little LED, this keeps your computer on so it turns on quicker, while it really wastes energy. Think of all the things that are always on, refrigerator, microwave clock, oven clock, digital clocks, TVs, lights. I took human ecology and the best way to save electricity is to have a plug with a switch on it and turn it off when you leave.
ReplyDeleteSomething about energy efficient things too, this past Christmas my brothers and I bought my mom a dishwasher, which was energy efficient and, there used to be a tax reduction on things like that, but it isn't effective on dishwashers anymore, which makes sense, since washing by hand is more efficient, good thing my mom boycott's it anyway :)
Also, check this out!
Happy earth day!!!
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-earth-day-plastic-bags-20100422,0,4732442.story
I just read that article and honestly I think it was a pretty good idea. Plastic bag litter is a huge problem and there are other alternatives to use at stores than plastic bags! As long as the stores offer other alternatives that are better I do not see any reason for the plastic bags. Have any ideas on anything else like this that could be done?
ReplyDelete