Does Earth Day Even Matter Anymore? and Commercialization

This blog post’s inspiration came from a discussion on a website regarding the topic: Does Earth Day Even Matter Anymore? I say it does, what say you? This post is not intended to argue anything, but rather show you my viewpoint. Earth Day has become a very commercialized event, very much like “commercial holidays” such as Christmas, Easter, and Halloween. I’d hate to see it grow to that point, but it seems like it is evolving to a certain extent toward it. To a certain extent, community will define where Earth Day goes and from what I’ve experienced, those who are behind the green movement generally don’t want it to become “commercialized”. Don’t get me wrong, commercialization is not necessarily a bad thing. It can bring massive media attention to and support for a cause, but is that needed for Earth Day? Earth Day is essentially a celebration of our planet, a day set aside where we can all, as inhabitants of Earth, can come together and learn about things that will make a difference. It doesn’t not need massive corporate backing or media coverage to be successful? Why? It is essentially common sense. You wouldn’t want your house to be a utter mess filled with greenhouse gases, poisonous pollutants, and littered with trash would you? Earth is our home and thus we should all treat it with the respect and dignity that it deserves. As Henry Davis Thoreau put it, “What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” Think about it and get back to me.

Community is a very important term when it comes to discussing Earth Day and “going green”. *As a side note, I’m going to be writing about the term “green” right after this post.* The green community is a friendly and helpful one. Sustainability fairs, lectures, and special events are only the beginning and the outward appearance of a community. Once you’re in, there is a limitless amount of resources at your disposal. Without this community and glue holding the “green” folks together, environmental movements, protests, rallies, lectures, and events would not be as successful or even possible. As of now, green is still in it’s education stage. It is not as widespread as it need to be in order to make a difference, but a movement needs to start somewhere. At this point, it is about appealing to a wider audience and spreading the word. Green is a lifestyle choice. There are those who actively seek it, and I applaud them. Then there are those who don’t actively seek it, but wish to learn more. I’d say that most people fall in that category or in this category: those who don’t know too much about the benefits, the cost, and the efficiency of green choices. The last group we can classify as those who are resistant to this change.

Commercialization. The green revolution/movement (whatever you want to call it) has been more of a family style and family theme, focusing on the community, whether it is on the level of small communities, locales, or on the level of national communities. Recently, there has been a shift into commercialization and large firms adopting this idea of a green lifestyle. As customers begin choosing greener alternatives and demanding that their favorite brand use green practices, it’s becoming apparent. Community fuels change and companies are trying to get their hands on this green technology to satisfy their customers (i.e Sun chips bags are now 33% reusable materials). That’s why we are in a transitory phase between full-blown commercialization and community. In the end, community will have the say in greening practices. Let’s build a brighter future, one step at a time!