earth day "be green"

I celebrate earth day by putting my hands in the dirt, gardening, planting, and hugging trees. It is also a time to reflect on how I am living. Am I living up to my own green ideals?

Earth day is a day to honor our mother the earth. It is a time to celebrate accomplishments of the environmental movement. But, what troubles me on this day is the state of the planet and how we (as westerners) view our place on the planet. Never mind the long speech on how we over-consume. Let's look at the trend to "be green." It's a slogan that has moved into the mainstream consciousness.

People got a wake up call with the movie "An Inconvenient Truth." Under the surface I think we are aware and we know that the planet is changing, rapidly. Corporate America and the mainstream press has offered us a "Band aid" feel good solution called "being green" or at worst a marketing ploy to buy "green" products.

We need to do more than "be green." And what does "being green" mean? What it doesn't mean is shipping our toxic waste to much less wealthy countries than the U.S. Take a look at where you get your water, food, clothing, etc. Can you trace your water supply? Can you trace where your garbage goes? Is the clothing you are wearing filled with pesticides and formaldehyde. Do you know how your food is grown?

We need to take being green down to a fundamental level of all aspects of our lives if we want to truly "be green." Don't just say "be green" live it.