As Earth Day turns 50, Dallas writer Anna Clark encourages green advocates to reflect on the state of the Earth while sheltering at home. Image courtesy of Storyblocks.

April 20, 2020

Earth Day has long been the hallmark holiday of the green-minded, especially in my hometown of Dallas, where the world’s largest Earth Day celebration is held. Now in its 10th year, Earth X features hundreds of exhibitors, speakers and a companion film festival and has become one of the city’s marquee events.

But this year, there will be no celebrating Earth Day strolling the grounds of Fair Park with friends and family, or on a stage in conversation with national conservation leaders. 

Instead, I’m contemplating it at home right now, on the same day the headlines announced the global loss of 115,000 souls—22,000 of them Americans—to COVID-19. And the isolation of sheltering in place, strange as it seems, is helping me see Earth Day in a new light. 

The isolation of sheltering in place, strange as it seems, is helping me see Earth Day in a new light. 

We who flock to Earth Day events enjoy the camaraderie and solidarity that come with grassroots engagement in the environmental cause. But here’s the kicker. “That’s not a revolution. That’s a party,” writes New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in “Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Whey We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America.” 

In his 2008 book, the Pulitzer Prize winner laments, “America’s problem is that it has lost its way in recent years—partly because of 9/11 and partly because of the bad habits that have weakened our society’s ability and willingness to take on big challenges.” 

Another decade has passed since then, and our world is even hotter, flatter and more crowded. By most indicators, we have neglected much of the “nation-building” Friedman called for, and now we are no better positioned to take on big challenges than most other countries. In fact, this year we’re not having a party at all. We are having a pandemic. 

At the risk of sounding cynical, it will take more than an Earth Day celebration to fix what ails us. But the event’s origin story does hold an important lesson if we are willing to take a look. Just as nobody should let a 50th birthday pass without serious reflection, no environmentalist should let Earth Day’s golden anniversary go by without contemplating the movement it created.

Just as nobody should let a 50th birthday pass without serious reflection, no environmentalist should let Earth Day’s golden anniversary go by without contemplating the movement it created.

The public consciousness that propelled the first Earth Day in 1970 came in the wake of the anti-war protest movement, fueled by the newfound concern that arose from Rachel Carson’s 1962 bestseller Silent Spring. Groups that had been fighting individually for a myriad of causes managed to unite on Earth Day around a set of common values.

As a result, Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, urban dwellers and farmers, and business and labor leaders. This sort of collective action is a lost art in today’s individualistic, politically alienated, ever-striving society. 

Try as we might to transcend our consumer culture, we are products of it, and it shows in our efforts to buy our way into a sustainable future. This is not to say we shouldn’t purchase green power and drive cleaner cars. Battery-based vehicles of all forms, including conventional hybrids, plug-in hybrids and BEVs, constituted barely 5 percent of the American new car market in 2018, so supporting these technologies is a bona fide contribution. But mass consumerism is not the same as collective action. 

Try as we might to transcend our consumer culture, we are products of it, and it shows in our efforts to buy our way into a sustainable future.

Going back to the start, Earth Day stemmed from a growing public consciousness to curb air pollution. This collective action led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts. President Trump’s elimination of environmental protections reminds us that public engagement—pushing for greener codes in cities and advocating for legislative changes at the state and federal levels—must remain priorities even as the private sector advances its own worthy sustainability goals. 

To celebrate the earth, if we genuinely mean to, calls for a different level of commitment than many of us have been giving it. 

In this time of solitude, I’m considering the possibility that all of these conferences, panel discussions, solar-powered car contests, Tesla test drives and other forms of green infotainment may also be forms of distraction from the deeper work required to change systems.

In this time of solitude, I’m considering the possibility that all of these conferences, panel discussions, solar-powered car contests, Tesla test drives and other forms of green infotainment may also be forms of distraction from the deeper work required to change systems.

We now see the magnitude of action required to put a dent in the problems facing the environment. For example, if you’re willing to turn off the economy, you can discover how it feels to breathe clean air. But even the staunchest environmentalist must admit that without a functioning economy, there’s no quality of life. This gridlock between the economic and the environmental has poisoned our politics, so we must find ways to transcend this false dichotomy. Learning how to strike the right balance involves systems thinking, disruptive collaboration across sectors—and courage. And there is no better time to hone these skills than during our current crisis.

Coronavirus is forcing the world to confront the fact that there is no escaping the consequences of a crowded world. This is our global society’s moment to rethink what matters, to reconsider what isn’t working and to seek a new path. My own green awakening occurred during another period of reflection, so I’m a true believer in the power of contemplation to change us fundamentally. The appeal and importance of Earth Day is the ongoing commitment and accountability it creates after the awakening, along with the opportunity wake up others. It’s what we choose to do with the energy Earth Day inspires the other 364 days a year that determines the difference it makes. 

If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s seeing living proof that, when our backs are against the wall, humans can act collectively for the greater good—not just environmentalists, but cities, states and entire countries. Coming through several months of shared sacrifice during this crisis, with its enormous economic and human toll, is showing us that we, the people, are capable of organizing effectively to flatten the curve and save lives. 

If we can find that same resolve to take necessary steps to flatten the curve on emissions, we may finally be ready for that green revolution. 

If there’s a silver lining to the pandemic, it’s seeing living proof that, when our backs are against the wall, humans can act collectively for the greater good.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, a revolution has been mounting for some time, thanks to the organizing efforts of Green Source DFW and its partners. We are also doing our part to develop the green ecosystem with the Inclusive Economy Consortium, a network I co-founded with Dr. Eva Csaky, research director at the Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity at SMU. Enabling change agents to connect, share and act to further shared goals is our purpose, which we express through a variety of initiatives such as the EarthxTech4Good Roundtable. We are encouraged by the partners who have joined the IEC and look forward to seeing the collective action we can create as more networks unite.

Earth Day turns 50 on April 22. That’s a half-century of momentum and collective experience we can leverage to tackle our big problems. 

Although we won’t be celebrating this birthday with a cake full of candles, we might try lighting one at home and praying that we find it within ourselves to deepen our learning and prepare to take on bigger roles. If we redouble our efforts and look for ways to get into collective action, we will get stronger, leaner and more disciplined—and we’ll really have something to celebrate when we are all together again.

Although we won’t be celebrating this birthday with a cake full of candles, we might try lighting one at home and praying that we find it within ourselves to deepen our learning and prepare to take on bigger roles.

 

See more of our 50th Anniversary of Earth Day coverage.


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