Earth Day 2010: What Earth Day Means to Me

Fortunately, when you work at the Natural Resources Defense Council-every day is Earth Day! However, this year, we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. 40 years of taking one day of the year to pause and ponder what impact our daily activities have on the only planet where we are certain that life exists.

For some, Earth Day means that they will make an extra effort to recycle. For others, it means they invest in energy efficient technologies in their home, turning a day of celebrating green into a lifetime of saving them another form of green-money! The opportunities to contribute are infinite, the quest the same.  If you pause at all to reflect on this day, you are acknowledging that your heart tugs a bit and you want to do your part.

What does this Earth Day mean to me? It means that we are in a position to determine, perhaps more than any other time in history,  the trajectory for the next 40 years of Earth Day celebrations.  It presents an opportunity to determine how we will commemorate our planet given the advancements our society has made in education, science, and technology. I recognize that these are lofty ideals, so what can you do now?

Here are a couple of options:

Invest in green power with just three clicks of your mouse!

This site - www.greenpowernyc.com - is a joint effort by the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Alliance for Clean Energy New York.

We created this website to provide New Yorkers with a tool to lead the way in repowering America, starting with their own homes and small businesses. 

Simply go to http://www.greenpowernyc.com/ and it'll walk you these through 3 easy steps:

• Step 1: Choose the type of renewable energy you want
• Step 2: Choose a provider
• Step 3: Fill out a short form to sign up

For more information, click here.

Get involved in your backyard (ioby)!

IOBY: is dedicated to fostering environmental action to occur precisely IN OUR BACKYARDS!  ioby.org (pronounced eye-OH-be) enables you to support neighborhood level environmental projects with a few simple clicks. 

This organization serves as a constant reminder that the environment that needs a little tender loving care is not only the Amazon rainforest or Arctic glaciers but the places where we work and live. There is a pressing need for your involvement much closer to home. Getting involved with ioby allows you to witness firsthand the return on your investment whether you give your time or money.

For more information, click here.

Finally, for me, this Earth Day presents a call to action. I would like to see the world make a commitment to investing in cleaner energy. Like all change, you must start at home. The United States is positioned to demonstrate a commitment to moving beyond business as usual and to remain competitive with the rest of the world by offering innovative solutions that generate clean energy alternatives. Early next week we anticipate comprehensive climate and energy legislation. 40 years from now, we should be able to hold ourselves accountable to the Copenhagen Accord, establish a competitive edge on renewable energy technology and be a global leader in developing sustainable solutions to nurture our ever evolving planet.

Happy Earth Day!