[334] Of celebrating the 34th Earth Day
April 22nd, 2004 by Hafiz Noor Shams
Today is Earth Day. It is the 34th Earth Day to be precise and the tree that was planted in front of University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment in conjunction with the 1989 Earth Day is now 15 years old.
Since 1989, a lot of things happened. The Berlin Wall, the fall of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, the Earth Summit, the Kyoto Protocol.
Sometimes, despite seeing how we are not doing enough to save the Earth, it is amazing to see how far we have gone. From the discovery of the ozone hole more or less two decades ago, the fight for a greener world has moved from confirming some of the most depressing environmental issues, from discussion among the top scientists to grassroots support and actually fighting it at the highest possible level.
In the US and probably in Europe, the politicians ignore the green lobbyists at their own peril. My only hope is for the same truth to be applicable in Malaysia. My dream is to see Malaysia somehow transforms itself from a conservative society to a liberal one. Until that happened, environmentalism would probably face a hard time garnering grassroots support in my home country.
Other than that, there is really nothing I have to talk about.
I was thinking on writing how to live a sustainable life in celebration of Earth Day but Yahoo! has already done that. I see little benefit in doing a redundant work. I couldn’t agree more with Yahoo!’s 10 big things you can do to make a big different. Most of the things I wanted say is said there. I guess all greens think alike. But I must say, our association with Leonardo Di Caprio is a little bit, umph, unexpected, perhaps. 
Google is also keeping up with its tradition of Earth Day celebration.
And Ann Arbor, being hotbed for the green movement in the Midwest region, will be celebrating the Earth Day this Sunday. I am planning to celebrate Mother Nature.
You should celebrate Earth Day too. Or at least, turn off the tap, switch off the light, recycle the paper, get out of the car and walk.
Happy Earth Day.
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