Saturday, April 22, 2006

Earth Day 2006

"When I first conceived of Earth Day, a global holiday to celebrate the wonder of life on our planet, I thought long and hard about the day on which it should fall. It must be meaningful. One that might be accepted universally for all of humankind.

When the Vernal Equinox dawned on me, I immediately knew it was right. The Earth tremor that shook our California dwelling at that moment seemed an omen of confirmation. What could be more appropriate than the first moment of Spring, when day and night are equal around the world and hearts and minds can join together with thoughts of harmony and Earth's rejuvenation. Just as a single prayer can be siginificant, how much more so when hundreds, thousands, millions of people throughout the world join in peaceful thoughts and prayers to nurture neighbor and nature."
- John McConnell, Founder of Earth Day

Our Earth is beautiful and it is our responsibilty to keep it the way nature balances it.

Unfortunately the toll of human development has been too heavy on our environment resulting in problems, that, if not resolved soon, would surely change the face of the Earth for the worst.

As the world celebrates Earth Day 2006, there has been a growing awareness among the online community through websites and webpages that are celebrating this event.

Google:

Google was one of the first ones to change it's logo to Earth Day theme and provide a direct link to Earth Day searches.

Yahoo:

Yahoo celebrates the Earth Day by putting up an Earth Day quiz, a Question/Answer box, providing information on Hybrid cars and taking pledges from visitors to help slow down climate change.


NRDC:

There's another great link to Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC)'s wesbsite that provides readers with tons of helpful information about environmental issues, global warming, wildlife, green living and solutions to many problems.

Plant Solutions

Communityschool.Net

A topic of study at the webpage lists down some interesting tips for celebrating the Earth Day.

EARTH DAY TIPS:

- Plant a tree that will shade your house as well as reduce the need for air conditioning.

- Participate in your community's recycling program and recycle all you can.

- Combine short car trips, or use a bicycle or walk instead.

- Improve your home's energy efficiency by adding insulation and caulking, and regularly cleaning heating and air conditioning filters.

- Compost yard trimmings and food waste in a backyard compost bin. Don't bag grass clippings - either leave them on the lawn or compost them.

- When buying paint, cleaners or other chemicals, buy only what you need and use what you buy.

- Practice water conservation - install a low flow shower head or make an Earth Day pledge to take shorter showers.

- Use compact fluorescent lights to conserve up to 75 percent of the energy consumed by incandescent bulbs.

- Purchase durable goods and choose products made with recycled materials and with minimal or recyclable packaging.

- Reduce the amount of unwanted junk mail - have your name removed from mailing lists.

The Nature Conservancy:

The Nature Conservancy's Earth Day 2006 page helps you to share your message of hope explaining how we can preserve our Environment, to send Earth Day e-cards to friends & family and to learn about messages of different celebrities participating in the event.

Some celebrity 'Messages of Hope' from the website:

"We cannot continue to push nature to the brink and then hope that by miracle it will return. We must be vigilant, active defenders of our natural resources and prompt our leaders and fellow citizens to join us as such. We must follow our faiths and common sense, which I believe will guide us into the future on this better path." - Jimmy Carter; former U.S. President

"I hope that the world gains an appreciation for what’s here and does everything it can to protect it. I want for my children and all of their children to enjoy the same wonders I experienced as a boy." - Tom Hanks; Oscar-winning Actor

"My hope for the planet is that the world’s businesspeople, consumers, activists, and politicians will work together to find new ways to create sustainable economic growth.

The good news is that we have the ability to provide for all the people in our world, and to do so in ways that are environmentally sustainable. Our financial and natural resources are abundant and sufficient, if we manage them wisely. We have human ingenuity, through which we create amazing new products, technologies and energy sources. And we have the motivation of wanting to preserve our planet for future generations."
- Ken Lewis; Chairman, CEO and President of the Bank of America Corporation

"My hope for our planet is that more adults will spend time with children to teach them to respect and learn from nature These experiences can shape children’s lives in countless positive ways and can imprint their souls with lasting memories. Children need strong, caring, role models that share in their world, no matter how small or insignificant that time may seem. This is my wish for this Earth Day." - Ward Burton; NASCAR driver

EarthDayShirts.com:

Want to wear the cause?; get your own personalized Earth Day 2006 T-shirts for as little as $6 at earthdayshirts.com. Some views of the 2006 line:


StopGlobalWarming.org:

You can also join "THE STOP GLOBAL WARMING VIRTUAL MARCH" to be a part of the collective voice to demand that the governments, corporations & people the world over commit to reduce global warming at Stopglobalwarming.org


Some Important Marchers:

"Global warming and the pollution and burning of fossil fuels that cause it are threats we see here in California and everywhere around the world. These pollutants blanket the globe, trapping heat and creating the "greenhouse" effect - the warming of the earth's atmosphere. All of this impacts California's water supply, public health, agriculture, coastlines, forestry, and much more." - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger

"The scientific consensus is clear: human activities are increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, causing our planet to warm. If we don't act soon to reverse this trend, future generations will pay the price. There are cost-effective measures we can take now to begin to address this critical issue, but Congress has been unwilling to lead." - Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

"Thousands of climate scientists agree that global warming is not only the most threatening environmental problem, but one of the greatest challenges facing all of humanity." - Leonardo DiCaprio

"Our generation faces the greatest moral and political crisis in human history. Will we take the steps necessary to avert catastrophic global warming or will we doom our children to a new Dark Ages in a world that is biologically and economically impoverished and defined by ever diminishing quality of life." - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

"The vast majority of the most respected environmental scientists from all over the world have sounded a clear and urgent alarm. Global warming is real, it is happening already and the anticipated consequences are unacceptable. The evidence is overwhelming and undeniable." - Al Gore

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heyz...whoa that was very informational...once upon a time...i really used to care abt our environment...i mean i still do...but dont really do anything abt it...cuz most prolly the place i live in...is near 'perfect' in terms of environmental conditions...however...i am more into charitable organizations though....but yeah...i also noticed the google logo change....nice info...btw are you an environmental science major? or something?...was wondering...seeeeeee ya hasan!

Rose said...

Those are some great suggestions. Thank you. I will try some of them.

Brea said...

Great post! Happy Earth Day to you! I was totally bummed b/c all of our Earth Day activities were rained out. But I guess, I celebrate Earth day everyday, showing respect for our environment in how I live my life.

Raheel Lakhani said...

GREAT POST!!

Signs of Climate Change are surely alarming but again it can be fought by collective effort.

black feline said...

u should be given an award for such zealous effort!Great job!

Hasan Mubarak said...

no none: How can that be? Where do ya live??

And, no, in fact, I'm a Marketing major.

rose: You are most welcome!

brea: As, it's never too late to celebrate Earth Day... Happy Earth Day to you too!

That's the best way if we keep on respecting our environment in daily activities of our lives.

raheel: The saddest part of it is that Climate change cannot be reversed, rather, it only can be slowed down...

black feline: Your saying that wasn't any less than an Award...

Sam!! said...

Great post!

Thnx for it :)

Takecare

aYeShA said...

excellent post and thanks 4 nice suggestions.
well i will try to make some new post more frequently..

any way what interesting things u got from my tag??

Anonymous said...

Comments on your Post

http://lahore.metblogs.com/archives/2006/04/drunk_bollowood.phtml

is getting out of hand. Do go there and start moderating it.

TC

Bart Treuren said...

thank you for the timely and intelligent post, one which echoes many of the issues occupying my ming...

we humans are indebted with the stewardship of the planet which is our home, offers us food and shelter as well as points of reference to improve ourselves... if we neglect to do so, if we refuse to see the subtle hints, the messages to correct ourselves and/or the devastatingly direct calls to action in the face of impending tragedy, we have failed ourselves and future generations as well...

quoting Tennessee Williams in his masterpiece "The Glass Menagerie" which could usefully be placed into a wider, global context...
"...I turn back time. I reverse it to that quaint period, the thirties, when the huge middle class of America was matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes had failed them or they had failed their eyes so they were having their fingers pressed forcibly down on the fiery Braille alphabet of a dissolving economy."

the bottom line is that we can't do this alone, we need each other, we need to look, listen and learn from each other and refuse to let ourselves be misled by economic imperatives dictated to us by the people who wield power in our society... only then can we be free and feel safe as well...

keep well...

S A J Shirazi said...

"When this blogger will start blogging actively again," I keep wondering.

Dak-Ind said...

we miss you.... come back to the blog world soon!!

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