This year is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, now a global marking of our common planet Earth. Earth Day started as a response to an oil spill off the California coast in 1969. The following Spring, the first Earth Day was ‘celebrated’ on April 22nd as a National holiday in the United States. According to Wikipedia, 193 countries now regularly honor Earth Day in some way. Many credit the institution of Earth Day itself as the beginning of our contemporary environmental movement.
I set aside the word ‘celebrated’ in my description of the first Earth Day because our usual images of a big festival leave out a huge part of the reality for Earth Day #1: these were protests and disruptions, as much as anything else. The Santa Barbara oil spill was really bad and Americans were angry. Labor was involved, and teach-ins and nonviolent direct action were part of the program across the country, but especially on college campuses. These things are a foundational, fundamental part of the landscape for Earth Day in America.
Like many social justice movements of the 60s and 70s, faith leaders were front and present in the environmental justice fights as well as in others. And like much of the religious voice in public policy, this presence was co-opted in the 1980’s by the “Religious Right” and “Moral Majority” constructs. The Judeo-Christian understanding of a Stewardship or Caretaking ethic in Genesis was replaced by pure Dominion theology, that is, humanity rules all created things in the name of God. Science and faith drifted further apart in our common rhetoric and public conversations.
A “Secular Festival” like Earth Day affords new opportunities for action and movement by people of faith, no matter how that is defined. Earth Day provides a unique intersection of community-action, public policy, adoration and celebration of Creation, education and activities, and solemnity. Those of us immersed in ritual and engaged in thoughtful questions of meaning have a place at this crossroads.
The big picture of EARTH DAY has its pitfalls. A glaring example is the frequent use of Earth Day to engage in what is called “GreenWashing” -either economic or policy based actions. GreenWashing is the practice of pretending to an ecological effort, or the temporary or contingent support of a Green initiative or the presentation of an environmentally sensitive policy, candidate or initiative that is in fact neutral or even detrimental. The first Bush White House famously did this on the 20th anniversary of Earth Day in 1990 by publicly saying all the right things to portray participation in Earth Day while quietly circulating counter points to undermine each effort.
This year, Earth Day is stripped of its political theatre, no speeches, no parades. Those of us who mark it, honor it, face an Earth different than anyone on 49 prior Earth Days has faced. And we do it alone, or with a small group. Perhaps we are among the essential workforce, and blessings be upon you if so, but even they will not march in any upcoming parades. We are all faced head-on with the impact of our individual choices. Our staying home, or our not being able to -it all matters in the life of this disease. Every choice. Each mask and washed hand.
We who do environmental work believe that individual and small community behavior will significantly drive the changes necessary to avert climate apocalypse. And we are seeing right now how very real it is that every choice and small action -or inaction - has great potential effect.
What could it also mean for us to lean fully into an Earth Day we choose, especially as people of faith? An annual renewal of vows to protect Earth and all beings? Adoption of new personal disciplines that serve rather than exploit Creation? Earth Day has become by necessity a more personal observance this year, and this can be a great gift.
May it be so for another 50 years.