The worst oil spill in human history (at the time) took place off of the coast of Santa Barbara, California, in 1969. On the morning of the twenty-eighth of January, a blow out occurred that subsequently caused barrels upon barrels of oil to gush out of an offshore well and to wash up onto the once pristine beaches of Southern California, carrying a current of dead sea birds, dolphins, and other marine life with it. The Energy Division of Santa Barbara Country estimated that Union Oil, the corporation responsible for the catastrophe, had spilled up to 100,000 barrels of oil. That's enough to fill six and a half Olympic sized swimming pools!
People were outraged. Here they were... going along their merry ways, consuming what they needed (and wanted) to consume, putting their blind faith in the companies that brought them the resources they needed to live the American lifestyle. And then this huge oil spill happens, and it reveals to people to potential horrors of their patterns of consumption. "You mean the huge Hummer I drive, the conventional foods I eat, and the cheap trinkets I buy all contributed to this?"
This oil spill deservedly attracted a lot of attention from the political spectrum. Many congressmen, and even President Nixon, visited the site of the spill after it happened. United States Senator Gaylord Nelson was one of these visitors. The spectacle moved him to call for the first national teach-in on the state of the environment, for he believed that public ignorance about environmental issues was one of the main factors that allowed this catastrophe to happen. So, on the twenty-second of April, 1970, the nation for the first time came together in different locations all across the United States to talk about the oil spill, the environment, and the things we can do about it.
Thus, Earth Day was born.
Earth Day Today
We're still having oil spills. In 1989, the Exxon Valdez spill injected up to 750,000 barrels of oil into Prince William Sound. And only a year ago, British Petroleum caused the worst oil spill in history, pouring up to five million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Five million! That's almost enough to fill three hundred and twenty Olympic sized swimming pools.
And aside from oil spills, we're dealing with a whole range of environmental problems, from climate change, to the genetic engineering of crops, to the pollution of our breathing air and drinking water, to the nuclear issues that have been on the forefront of people's minds since the earthquake in Japan a month ago, and more.
Have we not learned from our mistakes? Has the original intention of Earth Day (i.e. the education of the masses) failed? It sure seems like that. But giving up now would be suicide. We must keep taking the steps that we need to take to save our planet and in turn ourselves.
Ethical, responsible consumption is a huge step. And it's something that you can do every day, instead of just on Earth Day. When you choose to buy anything, make sure that your dollars don't support the destruction of the planet and instead supports the construction of something better. Green Mother Goods exists to encourage and participate in ethical, responsible consumption. The products that we carry in this store come from sustainable sources, sources that hold themselves accountable for the whole process, from production, to distribution, to consumption, to disposal. Check out the websites of some of the lines we carry: Maggie's Organics, Global Girlfriend, Global Crafts, Under the Nile, Plan Toys, Klean Kanteen, Bambu, To-Go Ware, Earth Creations. We also carry a huge variety of local products from local artists.
Stop by the store, and check it out! You can also find us on our website: Green Mother Goods.
This Earth Day
We will be participating in a few festivals over the next few days in celebration of Earth Day. Here is the line up.
Earthtones Music Festival
Date: 19 April 2011
Time: 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Location: Duck Pond Field, Stadium Drive, Boone.
Earth Day @ Appalachian State University
Date: 20 April 2011
Time: 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
Location: Sanford Mall, somewhat in between Belk Library and Central Dining Hall.
Boone in Blossom
Date: 23 and 24 April 2011
Time: ALL WEEKEND!
Location: Grandfather Campground in Banner Elk
Is it frustrating to you that even many "green alternatives" are polluting as well? For example, electric cars will not only require huge increases in electric production, but will also leave large and environmentally dangerous batteries in landfills.
ReplyDeleteEthanol has production demands that harm the environment. CFL's use Mercury. Do you support these technologies?