Earth Day 2014!

“A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.” —John James Audubon

It's Earth Day 2014!  There are many events to commemorate this day and of course the Google Doodle is tied to the occasion.  Even NASA has gotten into it with a brilliant campaign combining society's favorite thing of the moment, selfies!  For those interested, upload a selfie to Twitter, Instagram or Google + using the hashtag #globalselfie and NASA will compile a worldwide selfie image.  Sounds pretty awesome, though it's doubtful you'll be actually to spot yours.  But great strategy!

Anyway, some going green initiatives that I've seen gain adoption in my adult years are the following:

• Recycling
• Public transit
• Reusable bags
• Reduction of litter

Since childhood, recycling has always been a part of life.  However, it's been awesome to see recycling receptacles not just at home but also at schools, offices, airports, and restaurants.  Now granted, there's even more that can be done, but we're making significant strides by at least making recycling visible and encouraging.  Is it still lax in some areas?  Yes but it's the progress that counts!

I live in a pretty large metropolis where public transit is a way of life even though there is still a car dependency (and necessity to completely navigate the area).  To offset the downsides of that, there's a huge bike share program in effect that has been successful along with the implementation of bicycle lanes on main roads and high usage (and maintenance) of trails.  I was reading a Forbes article that discusses independence from the auto industry in America.  I think in larger cities, we can get close, though I don't know how completely free of automobiles we really can be.  Read a related Forbes article here.

Finally, the adoption of reusable bags.  I've definitely seen this initiative take off in my region.  Just five years ago, I can recall reusable bags being available but not necessarily widely used.  Now, I've observed people actually opting to purchase a reusable bag when they've forgotten theirs in lieu of using a plastic bag.  Awesome!  Personally, I love the idea of a reusable bag because I just don't like a lot of plastic bags laying around.  Which leads me to...

Littering, or rather lack of it!  I remember as a child feeling so sad to see trash in ponds and other natural habitats.  Oh, the anger I felt to see someone throw trash from their car or just leave it in other public spaces.  Unfortunately, there are just some areas/people for whom this negative behavior will be harder to change.  The bright side is people really seem to just not litter.  Perhaps it's the availability of trash and recycling receptacles or perhaps public shaming (just kidding...sort of) but whatever the motivation, littering appears to be on the decline.

As I reflect on Earth Day 2014, I'm happy about the progress and intrigued on what other things I can do to help preserve our lovely planet.  The planet has so many beautiful aspects (lands, oceans, skies) that it's time to show love and help heal.  Cue "Heal the World" music... :-)

How about you?  What are your thoughts on Earth Day?  Any plans for #EarthDay2014?  Chime in!