Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, fellow Earth dwellers.
If you're wondering about the origins of the day, like I was, check out the article I wrote:
http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/stores/earth_day/what_is_earth_day--and_why_should_i_care.html

What Is Earth Day--And Why Should I Care?
April 22, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. And back in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, we didn't even have an organized environmental movement in this country. So who should we thank for Earth Day and the subsequent push for more environmental conservation (which brought us the Clean Water Acts, the Clean Air Act, and many others)? You may be surprised to learn it wasn't a bunch of San Francisco hippies.

Senator Who?

The first Earth Day was the brainchild of Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. In response to the lack of organized national support for environmental issues, he created this annual public event to bring awareness to ecological preservation and put pressure on Washington to implement an environmental agenda. Known as the "conservation governor," Nelson worked for years within the governmental system to interest his colleagues in environmental policy--with no success. So Nelson decided to take his idea directly to the nation. In a widely-publicized speech, he called citizens to action with his idea of an annual event focusing on the environment. His message fell on receptive ears; the late 60s saw a significant rise in concern for the environment and according to the EPA, the percentage of citizens who cited cleaning up air and water as one of their top three political priorities rose from 17% in 1965 to 53% in 1970.

The first Green Day (before the band)

Reflective of the times and the campus activism that was picking up momentum, Nelson proposed that the first Earth Day should consist of grass-roots efforts to bring attention to environmental issues. Drawing on the fact that teach-ins on the topic had already been planned at a few different universities, Nelson decided to unite these efforts and spearhead a special event to coordinate rising interest in the subject of ecological awareness. Long before the phrase "Think Globally, Act Locally" had become part of our lexicon, Gaylord Nelson was organizing local groups with a global focus on the human habitat. It is estimated that 20 million Americans turned out on April 22, 1970 to voice their concerns about what was going on in their communities and to spur the government to action. And that was just the beginning. These days Earth Day is celebrated with events worldwide, including everything from a demonstration on climate change in Washington, DC to local recycling events, lectures, and community garden kick-offs.

Color wars

Forty years after the first Earth Day, environmental issues are still at the forefront of political conversations as well as dinner table conversations. Although Earth Day began as just an American event, it has grown into a global one and Earth Day headquarters is planning to welcome over one billion people in 190 countries to 2010's celebration. However, over the years, there has been some dissent growing over the relevance of the event. The "bright green" movement, which focuses on sustainable development through new design, contends that Earth Day contributes to the marginalization of environmental issues and has outlived its use. The "bright greeners" say that recycling or buying organic just one day a year is not enough to create real change. On the other side of the spectrum, there are groups stating that the environment has too many advocates: according to the National Center for Public Policy and Research, non-profit foundations donate over $400 million dollars a year to environmental advocacy and research. Turns out the environment is just as big of a hot button issue as it was in 1970--and will most likely continue to be a source of much debate in the coming years.

For information about how you can participate in your community, visit: http://www.earthday.org/earthday2010



Sources: EarthDay.org, EPA.gov, NationalCenter.org

Things I Wish My Parents Had Told Me #3

In honor of Tax Day, I wish my parents had told me:“Don’t do your own taxes.”

Having fancy stuff never mattered to my parents and they bought practically everything on sale. But it was important to my mom to stay home and raise the kids so she and my dad worked it out. My sister, my brother and I all got jobs as teenagers but my parents paid for our college. We didn’t get cars for our sixteenth birthdays but all three of us kids were given the opportunity to spend a year abroad when we were in high school. Bottom line: we learned very early the value of a dollar.

I don’t remember the first time I did my own taxes but I do know that I didn’t start paying someone else to do them until just a few years ago. Until that time, I always just wrote out my own 1040-EZ and left it at that. I never owed but I never got a return either. I thought that was fair—part of living in this country involves paying taxes, I get it. But a few years ago, Tax Day approached and it seemed like all my friends had accountants. I thought it was such an indulgence to pay someone money to do something that I could do for free. It’s like paying someone to do my housework—so decadent!

One year, I thought I’d give it a try, why not? I got a referral from a friend and paid an accountant a hundred dollars to do my taxes and when he told me I’d be getting a return, I felt like a thief. And the return wasn’t just a few bucks, but thousands of dollars. I had no idea you could deduct certain (not all) expenses. And tax laws change, which means you can get credits for certain things. When I told my dad about this, he replied, “yeah I know that! That’s why we’ve had the same accountant forever.” Uh, what? You guys know about this accountant thing? Thanks for nothing, Dad! It would have been nice to know that you guys use an accountant and maybe that is something that might have helped me all these years! He had to agree, actually, and sheepishly apologized. Then he said, “you shouldn’t be happy about getting a return, that is YOUR money and you should be getting more of it upfront, not loaning it to the government for free.” Um, OK. Baby steps. For now, I’m just happy to be getting legitimate returns and would highly recommend anyone who doesn’t have professional help, get it.

Things I Wish My Parents Had Told Me #2

“‘Settling’ is not always a bad thing.”

Where is this place in which the following things exist: the perfect job, the perfect mate, the perfect home, the perfect pair of jeans? I don’t know but it’s certainly nowhere near where I live. And it’s not where you live either. Somewhere along the line, we all got sold a bill of goods and are spending our adult lives wondering if we should “settle” for, say, a guy who’s right in front of us and who is perfectly nice but maybe has some un-perfect habits (like an unnatural love of sports or stuffed animals) instead of waiting for our Prince Charming (fictional) to ride up (it’s 2010, why is he riding) in his horse-drawn carriage (I’m past the age when carriages held any appeal).

The word “settle” holds about as much allure as “root canal” but really, what’s wrong with embracing reality and acknowledging that there is no such thing as the perfect anything? That’s not saying that if you’re unemployed, you should take any job offered or if you’re single, you should grab any person around and make a go at it—you have your pride, I hope. But waiting around for something that will never come is madness and as soon as you embrace your choices, warts and all, you can let the dream of what will never be, go. The judgment of others will unlikely follow (“Your new apartment is in what neighborhood?”) but no matter—their issues are not for you to worry over.