Earth Day 2010: Message in a Bottle

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and my friends and I enjoyed celebrating the Day and understanding the important message at the National Mall. The highlight of the day was when Sting performed his classic "Message in a Bottle" with Roots.

Earth Day is more than just Sting and Rock music.  Earth Day reminds us of our urgent and most significant responsibility towards our environment and the legacy we leave our children.


The key issue is no longer whether it's convenient, comfortable or whether we can afford it.  We now need to incorporate factors such as whether or not it makes environmental sense to make that drive to New York City or to Virginia Beach and if so, should I take public transportation.




Remember it's not just the emission we're concerned about.  It's also the consumption (of oil and gas) which is a precious commodity in which we need to conserve for our family.


While not as enjoyable as commuting in your own vehicle, mass transit eases congestion and reduces emissions.

Also by doing less driving and more walking, biking and catching public transportation, this reduces our dependence on oil, especially foreign oil and our need to drill off shore. 


There are too many risks involved in off shore drilling and I am not convinced that this will lower the price of oil in the US.  The risks gets more precarious as the water gets deeper.


Besides oil, there are many other ways we can make an impact to slow the growth of industrial farming practices -- one way is in the local grocery store -- buy voting with your wallet, and that is to buy organic.  That way we can support farmers who grow their crops without pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.


And the US should take bigger, bolder steps to implement more Green options such as wind energy and solar energy, including removing the huge bureaucratic machine in the federal and local governments that are sadly killing these initiatives.  In the US, unlike some countries in Europe and Asia, environmental regulations, bureaucratic inertia and heavy permitting are seriously slowing the start up of these highly critical initiatives.