In honor of Earth Day

This week has one of the most important holidays devoted to the Earth. You’ve guessed it, Earth Day. It’s the day when I do my part by hiking a part of the Appalachian Trail (or a nearby trail…this year, I plan to visit Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland) and celebrating nature’s beautiful scenery.

Earth Day has taken many twists and turns over the years. Now, thanks to the advent of “An Inconvenient Truth” and a degree of hyper-environmentalism, we are faced with a new slogan “Recycle or die” or Cap and Trade legislation, which would regulate industries that produce clean energy. Earth Day is no longer about promoting conservation within reason. It is now a day, which is meant to make Americans feel obligated about cleaning up trash, rather than allowing others to take initiatives for their own actions. Public schools across America talk about how recycling is a must. I always thought recycling was an initiative that one could decide to partake in, not feel forced. Then again, I wonder if this is the other portion of the curriculum being taught for Earth Day.

Granted with all of this “Save Mother Earth” and “Save the Planet” jargon, I feel as if I can’t celebrate Earth and the people who created the trash in the first place. I conserve water, recycle, clean up after myself, and drive an emissions free vehicle (not a hybrid, but close enough) on my own initiatives. George Carlin says it best time and again as evidenced in this clip.

Happy Earth Day! Celebrate reasonably.