As a I kid I spent my time scheming ways to reduce the pollution coming out of smoke stacks. I built a model of a clean air smoke stack out of empty paper towel rolls, news papers and masking tape. If only my masking tape netting would have caught on. When I wasn’t trying to figure out how to save the world from black clouds, I was trying to figure out a way that I could keep a living and breathing real pony in our storeroom. You see, we had a pool and all the chemicals and pool toys were kept in the storeroom with access to the back yard. Why not make even more use of the room under the garage and make it a home to my pony? She could sleep right next to the chlorine. I’m sure she would have loved the chlorine smell as much as I did. OK maybe my time spent figuring out how to help the environment was time spent more useful, but boy oh boy, did I want that pony.
I was a weird kid. I know. But I was a kid who always cared about the environment. It’s all making sense why I majored in Dirt now, isn’t it?
Today, Earth Day turns 40. I love this day. It’s my hope that people who normally don’t think about eco-friendly products or sustainable ways of life take a moment on this day to actually think about it. Because the first step to making something a habit is thinking about it. And in 40 more years of Earth Days, maybe they make it a practice.
Today, I also realized that unbeknownst to me, I’ve produced two giant dreds in the back of my head. I’d like to think it’s because I want to be just a bit more granola today, or maybe it’s because I’m a big fan of Crystal Bowersox, or maybe it’s a cue that I should go buy a hairbrush. Whatever it may be, I’m embracing it today along with my biodegradable bag of Sunchips, turning off all lights when I leave a room, and remembering to take my reusable bags IN to the grocery store so that I will actually USE them.
Happy Earth Day.
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