Earth Day: Mother's Day hypocrisy on a global scale

I care about my planet. I care about the planet, because I care about myself. I'm not a particularly selfish person, but I view environmentalism less as an altruistic activity and more as an exercise in self-survival. I believe this strategy is the best way to make the concept of environmentalism hit home. People don't care about endangered panda bears anywhere near the level they care about themselves. That's my position on environmentalism. It's a smart thing to do, because ultimately it's in your own interest to keep the air you breath and the water you drink as clean as possible.

The best metaphor for environmentalism can be found in your public swimming pool. We all swim in the same swimming pool, and share the same water. Some people pee in the swimming pool and hope others don't notice... after all, it's a big swimming pool. That's just gross. But what happens if EVERYONE pees in the swimming pool? That's really gross, and people are going to notice. Our planet is a giant swimming pool, and you want to discourage/eliminate indiscriminate urination.

The biggest problem with environmentalism is the popular opinion of "It's not me. It's you." There is no shortage of people willing to point out other people's failings on environmentalism. They will point out the giant cars that other people drive, or the amount of garbage that other people create. It's easy to find fault in others, but much harder to find fault in ourselves. I'm part of the problem. I admit it honestly. I can appreciate environmentalism on a conceptual level, but I can easily do more to help out the cause. I am certain that YOU can do more to help out the cause as well, and it's important to admit it. This is why Earth Day is counter-productive to the cause.

Earth Day is Mother's Day hypocrisy on a global scale. It's the one day when everyone parades around as environmental crusaders with invisible signs that say "It's not me!" People feel good about themselves, and they can be guilt-free for the rest of the year. Earth Day was a great idea to promote awareness, but it's the ultimate easy fix for people desperately want to believe that "It's not me. It's you." I'm cynical about Earth Day for this very reason. Remember: "It's me... but it's also you too."