Maybe Earth Day should be a national holiday. One where we don’t produce any garbage.
There are a lot of random appreciation days. They are all wonderful, I suppose, if you’re included in the appreciated party. I can get behind most of them, but there are a few that really make me question the validity of assigning an appreciation to a day—take for example, National Tooth Fairy Day (February 28th) or Bittersweet Chocolate Day (January 10th). They don’t really seem like occasions that we really need to assign a day to (for instance, I appreciate chocolate all of the time). But this week, there’s a particularly important appreciation day coming up—Earth Day, which falls on April 22nd.
Of course, the recognition of the importance of respecting our planet is essential everyday—not just one day a year, but it’s a start for those of us that need a little reminder. Established in 1970 following a UNESCO conference, the day is one dedicated to acknowledging environmental issues. The idea was proposed by John McConnell, a peace activist, who threw out the idea that it might be wise to have a day to honour the earth.
This year is a particularly special one, as it marks the date that 147 countries (Canada included) will sign the Paris Agreement, an treaty that, according to the National Observer, “envisions measures to hold the average global temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and closer to 1.5 degrees.” Alarmingly, the world had already warmed one degree, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This accord, once signed, will signal the first step in the very long process of trying to repair the damage that we’ve caused to the planet.
So, on April 22nd, get outside and honour the earth…and try to keep the garbage to a minimum. It may not necessary affect the climate, but it’s the least we can do for the planet that we call home—since we’re probably not going to get another.
