Earth Day ~ A Rant From Atop My Recycled Soap Box

WARNING~I am not my usual happy, cheerful self this morning. Read on at your own risk! (But don't worry, it's not all that bad.) :) It never lasts long.

Hello All~ HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!

I have always thought that it is quite funny/ironic that we devote an entire month to celebrating things like Black History, or Breast Cancer Awareness, (by the way; ALL important causes on their own) yet we only set aside one measly day to honor other Earth! What is wrong with this picture?!? And no wonder our Earth is in the state that She is. I have always thought that Earth Day should be EVERY DAY! (Yeah, I know it is a bit cliche.)

But, since it is not celebrated everyday, (for most people), they all try to stuff this type of stuff into one day. One day to show that we care about our Planet. One day to teach our kids how to be good stewards of our resources. One day to show that we are an aware species. One day to turn the tide of 200 years of industrialism. An impossible task for just one day.

This message takes a lifetime to live and to convey. It has taken several lifetimes to build ourselves up to this state of dis-ease; and it will take at least half that long before we can come to a place of healing. It will take an all out declaration that we the people will no longer tolerate nor subsidize the wholesale raping and pillaging of our most precious commodity...our home.

It will take people of all Nations to acknowledge that our world extends far beyond National borders; that we cannot justify exploiting and pillaging other countries, just because we do not consider them our own. The filth and pollution that we have wrought extends far beyond the so called borders, and in fact, far beyond the borders of this Planet.

Many of us Pagan Folk have been living Earth friendly lives for a long time now. This new "Green" message is nothing new for us. We are the Veges and the Vegans, the members of Peta and the Faux Fur Brigade. We are the people who volunteer our time to places like Food Not Bombs and planting community gardens. We are the ones who have been jumping up and down for the past 40-50 years about Saving the Planet, the whales, and the rain forest. We practically invented the Green Movement. We reduce, reuse, recycle and replant, restore and recreate.

So, it makes me a bit testy that it has taken this many years of people ignoring the message; and that 'all of a sudden' they seem to get the message. (Please don't get me wrong...I am HAPPY that they are getting it, whenever and however they do. ) I just am a bit upset that the message seems to be being capitalized on. I am a bit suspicious that our politicians are using things like carbon taxes to get the message across. I am appalled at the gestapo like techniques that our public school systems are employing, by telling children to 'turn their parents in' if they do not recycle or use energy saving light bulbs. I am not buying the 'Green is the new black' t-shirts from places like Wal-Mart that continue to use child labor and factories that spew forth hazardous materials into the water and air. I am having a lot of trouble seeing as how these messages of Eco-Conservation are genuine coming from these charlatans.

All the while, the companies, corporations and 'Powers that Be' are continuing their wholesale demolition and destruction of our precious natural resources. It seems that they have put on a fresh coat of paint; but it is still the same old 'business as usual' attitude. I can see through this thin veneer of concern, and what I see is that we are still the people paying the ultimate price.

So, on this Earth Day, please forgive me for not jumping for joy that the hundredth monkey is finally washing his coconut. I think I am going to sit this one out. And tomorrow; this crunchy, granola girl will go back to 'business as usual'. I will continue to pick up trash when I go to the park and the beach. I will schlep my recycling to the center. I will water my grass at night, and my flowers with recycled shower water. I will keep on making my own grocery bags, and not use pesticide on my vegetable garden.

And I will keep sending energy to heal the Earth and keep saying my prayers that someday the message will be felt in the hearts of everyone; and not used as a capitalist catch phrase. I know that we are reaching critical mass. I know that we have entered a new Aeon. (And I know that most of you know it too.)

So please forgive my sarcastic rant. I am usually a very positive and upbeat kinda gal; and I always try to send that energy to others through my writing and my art. I guess everyone has those days...and for me, today is one of them. Nothing gets me going like hypocrisy; and I think I have had my fill.

However...I do like to end things on a high note. So here is my contribution to the Blogosphere for this Earth Day. I have been using my old t-shirts to make reusable grocery bags; and I think that today is the perfect day to share the project with all of you. So, by the afternoon (Pacific Time!) I will whip up a fresh one, with step by step photos. (Provided nothing drastic or unexpected gets in the way!) I have some already made...but I think it is probably more interesting to actually see the process, (even if it is taken on my shitty cell phone camera).

So, if you are interested, check back here later today or tonight, and I will have the project posted.

Other than that...I hope that you all have a nice day, and a Happy Earth Day.

~Written by One Not So Chipper and A Tad More Sarcastic Than Usual Witchy Poo, Danae