Is Earth Day just an act? Looking beyond the mere hype

on November 3rd 2023

22nd April. Does that date ring a bell? Hear this date any time else and the average person likely wouldn’t think much of it. But in April, the whole month revolves around it. For the environmentally conscious, this date carries a great significance. After all, it is Earth Day, an event that should carry more importance in this era of global warming. But 53 years since its start, the event still does not live up to its hype.

Earth Day, at its core, is meant to spread awareness. It’s meant to let people know of the real problem of the worsening of our climate and encourage them to act. It should be helping reduce climate change and encourage eco friendly products. Yet, in the eyes of an average citizen, things are not so simple. For them, the usual commodities have a green Earth Day sticker. News channels talk about record breaking temperatures more. There’s rarely a tangible thing to act upon. The sporadic nature of Earth Day, limited to a single month of build-up to one day. This may play down the year-long urgency it was meant to convey.

Only a single day for such a well-meaning event does not do it justice. After all, when was the last time you saw anything about Earth Day in, say, August? Chances are you didn’t. Sadly, the year long fire that Earth Day is supposed to light often fizzles out by the end of the month. due to the annual nature of this awareness campaign, it will be much harder to stick to resolutions for a long time. Resolving to eat less meat becomes harder when the local supermarket is stocking up on it again. It is like new year’s resolutions — It starts out with an enthusiastic bang, just to whimper out by the end of January. If Earth Day were to mark the start of regular initiatives, people would take part year long.

A single day of attention is akin to a performance on a stage. Momentary claps, a second of the spotlights, to then fade in the backdrop.

If every day were Earth Day we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in.
-Neil deGrasse Tyson

Having said that, how can we turn Earth Day into a lasting commitment?

Instead of the latest graphs and records, long term plans for real change should be launched. This can manifest as eco-lectures, green workshops, and recycling initiatives that operate year-round. Also, we should involve more people in these efforts. We need to transform passive consumers into active members of climate movements.

The sustainable products that will help save our planet do get their time to shine. While they might not be popular in the media, Earth Day does give them the chance to get the attention they deserve. While these companies innovate in the background, Giant corporations take this for granted. The commercialisation of Earth Day is a big issue that needs addressing. Many brands slap a green sticker on their products without any change. This “greenwashing” is a façade, hiding the dark truth of malpractices. For these companies, Earth Day is like Christmas or Holi- a marketing opportunity. In the case of Holi, we have seen claims of ‘eco-friendly’ colors that turn out the same as all others. Also think about bottles claiming to be 20% recycled, ignoring the other 80%. Earth Day could serve to kick off environmental “tech fairs” to address such issues.

And in the present day, Earth Day is more often than not used as a marketing gimmick rather than a chance to innovate.

Despite this, Earth day does bring people together and gives us a common goal to unite on. It Is much easier to act as a group, and groups can also get more done. Small actions multiplied by millions of people can change the whole world. Every recycled can, every tree planted, every bike ride helps. Tiny changes can change the world.

To conclude, While Earth Day does have its merits, its hightime to rethink our view of this event. In a time of desperate climate crises, a lone annual event won’t lead to real, lasting change. Stricter regulations are needed to prevent any exploitations by corporations for PR. But we as consumers have our own responsibilities too. We too need to do our due diligence and not falling for the meaningless green labels on products.

Earth Day should serve as a nudge in the right direction — Not the sole driver of our efforts to save our planet.