bacon is magic

I was thinking about what everybody could do on Earth Day, and I think I’ve found the best answer.

Do absolutely nothing different from your daily routine on Earth Day.

Do not turn off your lights early. Do not go plant a tree. Do not take things to a recycling center. Do not change your home’s air filter. Do not unplug anything at home. Do not shut down your computer after using it. Do not ride a bike or take public transportation to work. Do not take the stairs. Do not turn off your air conditioner and open the windows.

Do not deviate from what you would consider to be a regular day.

Why?

One of the great motivators in life is guilt. By not doing anything special or eco-friendly on Earth Day, you can let guilt drive you to make more permanent lifestyle changes. Why only have one day where you turn off your lights early? Let guilt drive you to turn off your lights early throughout the year! Why shun the use of electricity for a day to celebrate Earth Day? Let guilt goad you into more frequent acts of energy conservation throughout the year! The same guilt that makes you eat your vegetables and floss your teeth can be put to good use. “Oh man! I forgot all about Earth Day and didn’t do ANYTHING… eh… I guess I can make it up by finally changing those lightbulbs and maybe I can take the bus instead of driving and… etc”

It’s stupid to have a holiday to encourage people to be eco-friendly for a day, only to continue doing the same old thing the next day. A good example are cities that go “lights out” on major buildings for Earth Day (and revert to the usual lighting schedule the very next day). That’s just dumb and frankly, it’s very disingenuous. If you can save ### kilowatts of energy by turning the lights out on a building for a day, why not do it more often? Permanent changes make a difference, not 24 hours of concentrated caring.

I don’t hate Earth Day - I think it’s a great idea. I just think we’re using it the wrong way.