Strength in Numbers

Last night I watch an episode of Frontline, titled "Poisoned Waters". Frontline is a PBS news program that covers a variety of topics from the environment to the war in Iraq, and is typically known for telling the truth, even when it hurts. This program was obviously about the water quality in America, but it also spoke a lot about how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was originally founded back in 1970.

In 1969, college students across the country came together to organize the first national Earth Day. The event took place on April 22th, 1970 and people showed up by the millions. 20 million Americans to be exact. This was and still is the largest protest ever held on American soil. 20 MILLION AMERICANS!

With 20 million Americans collectively calling upon our government, we started to see results. The EPA was established and finally, American Industry was being called upon and held accountable for their actions and impacts on public health and the earth.

I think this is amazing and I start to wonder why we don't see more demonstrations of this size today. Is it that the world is healthier and these kick starting protest are no longer needed?

When I think even deeper about it, I realize there is still an Earth Day. Every year in April hundreds of millions of people across the globe get together to call our governments into action. I have seen them on MTV and even one in person a couple of years back at some professional football field in NY. There were rock stars there, beer trucks, plastic cups and a few display tables out front where you could sign up to be on some environmental nonprofits mailing list.

I wonder if the Earth Day of 2009 or 2010 does more harm then good?

And I know smaller, still grassroots organizations and movements are out there, but I wonder why we don't see them in the press. I wonder why their grassroots vigils are not getting people out there by the millions in support?

Perhaps I just feel guilty for having skipped one tonight. (It's 20 something outside and the wind is howling). When I watch programs like Frontline or movies like "The Future of Food", I feel like everyone should be watching them. Everyone should want to watch and learn this information. I guess I think if people did, they would want to make dramatic changes in their life to change the future of our planet and our people.

And I guess for me there's still a lot of guilt that I am not doing enough. More and more scientific evidence is telling us, dramatic change is the only way, but I don't see dramatic changes in the way we live our lives collectively. I haven't made that many drastic changes. Saying I do my part or every little bit counts by not using plastic bottles or bags at the grocery, is not enough.