One of the great comedians popular in my youth was George Carlin. Carlin’s stage performances, especially in his later years, were a mixture of sermon and lecture punching hard at the core of many controversial subjects, yet he still somehow managed to keep the listeners engaged while producing a laugh.
In 1992 Carlin penned and performed Saving the Planet. This essay mocks humans’ motives and attempts to control their environment. Carlin portrays people as arrogant for even thinking that our species will have any long-lasting effect on our planet, except for plastic, maybe.
Scientists have calculated the age of the Earth at 4.5 billion years and predict it will remain for another 7.5 billion years until it is eventually devoured by an expanding sun. It is generally accepted that Homo sapiens have inhabited the earth for approximately 200,000 years. If you do the math, you will see this is an infinitesimally small percentage of the time the earth has been in existence. And prior to the evolution of the human species, the earth underwent millions of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids, plate tectonics causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, solar flares, the reversal of the magnetic field and much more.
Even so, with all this turmoil, the planet is fine. Luckily for us, planet earth is situated in the Goldilocks zone, just the right distance from our sun that water remains liquid. We used to think this a rare and special situation, mostly since our view of the galaxy was so limited. But as our horizon ballooned, we have located approximately 5000 planets outside our solar system, with at least 59 of those able to support life. That number is growing with each day.
However, this is the only habitable planet that the human race has access to. So, when we celebrate Earth Day on April 22, it is not so much about saving the planet as it is a reminder that this is our nest and maybe we should give serious thought to living in a more sustainable way. Earth Day is a chance to reflect on the impact of our activities on the planet’s ecosystems. Earth Day is a celebration of the efforts undertaken by people all over the world to keep this spaceship Earth beautiful and habitable for all of its residents.
Many sources credit the 1962 publication of Silent Spring as heralding the beginnings of the modern environmental movement. This book by Rachel Carson, which highlighted the dangers of synthetic pesticides, sold over half a million copies. The book had a momentous impact in the United States, eventually leading to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Then in early 1969 an oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif. released over 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of marine creatures large and small. As a witness to this event, Senator Gaylord Nelson was deeply impacted and in 1970 proposed a nationwide environmental teach-in. Senator Nelson then hired young activist Dennis Hayes to be the national coordinator. Hayes renamed the event Earth Day and over 50 years later we still set aside each April 22 to teach, learn, protect, and celebrate.
In that spirit the Ignacio Community Library in partnership with Ignacio High School science classes are hosting an Earth Day Celebration at the library. Everyone is invited and anyone who would like to participate is encouraged to join the celebration with a presentation on sustainability or climate awareness, displaying appropriate artwork, singing a song or playing instruments, or other creative activities.
The Earth Day Celebration also includes a number of contests. There is a repurpose/recycle contest, a writing contest and a math contest. Stop by the library for rules and to pick up the problems or prompts for the different age groups for each of the contests. Repurposed/Recycled items will be on display and there will be People’s Choice voting for the best contest entry. A plant and seed exchange will also take place during the celebration, along with an opportunity for you to donate your valuable recyclables to the library. We will accept your aluminum cans, copper wire, brass scrap and electronic devices for recycling to help fund the Repair Cafe.
The Earth Day Celebration begins at 10am with events and presentations throughout the day. The Sierra Club will be represented and there will be a cool sustainable energy model to examine. Local schools will visit throughout the day to view the displays and maybe win surprise giveaways. The event will start winding down at 4p.m. and close by 5p.m.
Hopefully you will get a break on Monday and have a moment to join your community and local students in celebrating our beautiful planet and considering ways to encourage positive ideas for keeping our planet livable for all of us who call the Earth home.
